› added 8 years ago

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TIL engineers building a bridge between Germany and Switzerland found that when the two halves met their elevations differed by 54 cm. Germany bases sea level on the North Sea, and Switzerland by the Mediterranean; someone messed up the correction, doubling it instead of cancelling it out.

neo8P TIL About the Churchill Club, a group of highschoolers who started a Danish resistance against the Nazis because their government and army didn't put up a very good fight
yVVj8 TIL the iconic Einstein-sticking-his-tongue-out photo was his annoyed reaction to paparazzi goading him to smile on his 72nd birthday. It achieved cult status mostly because Einstein himself asked for a cropped version, ordered many prints and proceeded to send them to friends.
rRVeM TIL that Jack Johnson was a professional surfer before singer/songwriter and “at 17 he was the youngest participant to reach the finals at the Pipeline Masters in Maui.”
wLwAW TIL that ‘grape bricks’ (concentrated grape juice) were sold during Prohibition, which came with a warning not to mix the contents of the brick, yeast, water, and sugar in a pot and then seal such pot for seven days, or else “an illegal alcoholic beverage will result”
oRMXK TIL about the Grey Rock Method: a technique to deal with manipulative or toxic people by acting uninteresting, like a “grey rock.” Minimal engagement and neutral responses discourage their behavior, helping you to maintain boundaries and protect your peace.