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Short answer: It’s spiritualist bunk that reflected the science of its time

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lJWA TIL: Steel made since the 1950s is radioactive and cannot be used to make Geiger counters. Sunken German warships are used instead.
P1WrG TIL in the 50s Disneyland offered fishing on Tom Sawyer Island in an area called Catfish Cove. Guests could borrow a pole and a can of worms to try and catch fish. They offered to clean, ice and store them until close at a restaurant. It was promptly ended after fish were discarded all over the park
ZaBp TIL An Air Canada flight took a detour to find a stranded Australian yacht. The passengers of the Boeing 777 found the yacht only 25 minutes after the distress beacon was activated.
VBYWQ TIL In 2010, the Russian Navy ordered the repair of a nuclear battlecruiser at a cost of $11 million dollars. Prosecutors later revealed that the actual cost of this work should have been $8 million and the other $3 million was stolen. As was discovered later, no repair work was carried at all.
OoZQY TIL about Stefan Lanka's Measles lawsuit. Lanka claimed that measles did not actually exist and was in the mind. He offered €100,000 to anyone who could prove the disease existed. After he rejected medical papers, David Bardens, a German doctor, took him to court. Lanka lost and was ordered to pay.