› added 2 months ago

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TIL that the concept of cognitive dissonance explains why some followers double down when their leader fails - admitting they were wrong is too painful. Psychologist Leon Festinger coined the term after infiltrating a 1954 UFO cult whose members became more devoted when their prophecy failed

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via reddit.com

9wNdm TIL in 2013 a team of snipers destroyed 17 electrical transformers at the Metcalf Transmission Substation in CA, described as a 'professional job' using 'military-style weapons.' Fiber optic cables were cut prior to the attack and no suspects have ever been publicly identified.
xVMGk TIL the reason we can't wake ourselves up by snoring is that a part of our brain makes us expect the snoring before it happens, so we don't get surprised or woken up when it does happen
wLKX1 TIL that in 1944 Dutch Resistance members dressed as German SD (intelligence agents) went into Leeuwarden prison, and walked out with 39 prisoners, and all vanished into the city. No shots were fired, and the Germans never caught anyone.
0wLjR TIL about Tidal locking when rotation and translation takes the same time. For example, the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth. And almost all bodies will eventually be tidal locked.
RaMa TIL in India, in order to promote lower birth rates, authorities have created a sterilization lottery. Individuals that volunteer to be sterilized are given 600 rupees and their names are put into a lottery to win televisions, motorcycles, food processors, and the grand prize, a Tata Nano.