› added 1 week ago

1

TIL that contrary to popular belief, Einstein was actually extremely talented at mathematics during his childhood. His reputation comes from him failing the entrance exam for university when he was 16, but he did very well in the mathematics and physics sections, only behind on zoology and biology.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

4XXXa TIL that sitting on top of flagpoles was a fad in the mid to late 1920s, where people would compete to see who could break records for endurance sitting. The world record is 51 days, 20 hours.
kJek7 TIL of Variety Children's Charity. It was founded by a group of men in show business who found a baby on the steps of a movie theater. After raising money for her they raised money for poor kids. Later on two members founded The Jimmy Fund a pediatric cancer charity that fundraised in movie theaters
786Kr TIL of the 52 American submarines lost in WWII, three were destroyed when their own torpedoes circled back and hit them.
Gjb5 TIL that the Queen of Denmark did illustrations for Lord of The Rings
LQwkd TIL badminton was originally called "Poona" after the Indian city where British officers modified ancient battledore in the 1860s, but was renamed after the Duke of Beaufort's Badminton House in Gloucestershire