› added 2 months ago

11

TIL that "Crystal Glass" is refractive because it's made with Lead Oxide.

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via reddit.com

YpbmZ TIL 1389 people died during a stampede brought on by free beer and pretzels. Festivities continued despite the deaths.
Mex9K TIL the helicopter that crashed during the Bin Laden raid did so because in the training exercises, they used a chain fence, rather than a solid wall like what surrounded the real compound. The solid wall meant heat got trapped and rose up, causing the helicopter to have different flight properties.
WkNMN TIL: In 1999, Garry Kasparov faced the rest of the world in a game of chess. Moves were decided through a plurality vote involving 50,000 people from more than 75 countries. Kasparov won the game.
X0Z16 TIL The burglary tools used throughout in the film Thief (1981) were not props, but real tools which the actors were trained to use. The tools were supplied by real-life thieves who served as technical consultants on the film.
8e8Z8 TIL that the word "fascinate" derives from the ancient Roman practice of using a representation of the divine penis (a fascinare) to perform magic.