Post * wLBO8 — Curious Curator

› added 4 years ago

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TIL That the Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel died of Tuberculosis at the age of 26 and did most of his major work in a span of about 7 years while living in poverty. The equivalent of the Nobel prize in the field of mathematics; the Abel prize, is named after him.

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Appo TIL, Lewis Carroll was accused of being a paedophile, after a letter was discovered addressed to 11 year Alice Liddell (possibly your Alice in Wonderland). He also was an avid photographer, who’s whole collection was of little children, often nude. [Childhood ruined]

N7dKe TIL tennis balls were traditionally black or white. They were changed to yellow in 1972 after research showed they were more visible on television.

EjNP TIL although Iceland is considered politically as part of Europe, it is geographically North American and European at the same time, due to the fact that half of Iceland belongs to the Eurasian plate and the other half to the North American plate.

oBneA TIL of genetic sexual attraction,where people with similar genes tend to be mutually attracted. This is often cancelled by the Westermarck effect:children raised together rarely become mutually attracted when older. Thus,separated siblings who reunite as adults have a high risk of sexual attraction.

OorP1 TIL during WWII, Winston Churchill had a private bathroom in his bunker, that was actually hiding a direct phone-link to the president of the USA. So, when the lock on the door was switched from ‘vacant’ to ‘engaged’, Churchill wasn’t using the toilet, he was instead conducting important business.