› added 6 years ago

88

TIL that the method of pasteurizing grape juice to halt it from naturally turning into wine has been attributed to a British–American physician and dentist, Thomas Bramwell Welch. Welch was also active in the Underground Railroad and aided in the transportation of freed slaves to Canada.

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GYeQJ TIL that there is an instrument that you play without touching: the theremin
6EeRm TIL that ants farm & milk insects called aphids. Ants protect the aphids from predators and bring them food, then "milk the aphids to produce a sweet substance known as honeydew" which the ants then store + eat.
W79GL TIL Metallica has its own philanthropic organization called All Within My Hands devoted to "creating sustainable communities by supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services."
N7JEe TIL: To identify the pilots guilty of "buzzing" (doing dangerously low-altitude fly-bys) of bases or populated areas, for decades many US military planes were marked with short unique I.D. codes painted-on with large letters. Such marks (different from serial numbers) came to be called BUZZ NUMBERs.
GAkBE TIL scuba divers dive backwards to keep boats stable