Today

786lr TIL that the Great Storm of 1703 was so devastating the Church of England called it God’s punishment for the sins of the nation. It set windmills on fire from overspinning, tore the lead roof off Westminster Abbey, and wrecked so many ships that special news sheets listed the 1000s of dead.
ZpbKp TIL that a man who survived an avalanche later found that Sudoku was the only thing that would trigger his epileptic seizures, because oxygen loss had damaged the part of his brain used for visual-spatial thinking.
a8bM0 TIL that in 2013, it was reported that soldiers in the German army were developing gynecomastia (man boobs) due to an exercise where they repeatedly struck their left breasts with their rifles. The repeated abrasions encouraged the formation of breast tissue.
KY1ow TIL of King Henry I, known as “the Fat,” who is not known for much except for his great girth. He has been considered a “colourless personality whose reign saw significant events in which he apparently played no leading part.’
dDgkK TIL that when the British evacuated New York in 1783, George Washington was dissappointed in not getting back some of his escaped slaves and had been surprised the British commander thought that doing so would be "a dishonourable violation of the public faith". 3000 slaves escaped with the British.
oR0k7 TIL of Hyperparasites: Parasites that live on other parasites. In some cases, the hyperparasite may itself have a parasite living on it
164OW TIL a SF taco shop once offered free meals for life to anyone willing to get its logo tattooed, and at least 50 people actually did it. It closed in 2012, but people who got the tattoos now get free pupusas from the restaurant that took over their lease
GAao7 TIL that Curtis Priem, one of Nvidias co-founders, left the company in 2003 and sold all his shares by 2006. Today, his net worth is $30 million, but if he had held onto his Nvidia shares, his net worth would be roughly $70 Billion.
pYjJ4 TIL filmmaker Peter Jackson had planned to produce a film adaptation of “Halo” in the 2000’s but it fell through due to lack of financing. Instead Jackson, along with first-time director Neill Blomkamp, used many of the “Halo” props to make the critically-acclaimed film “District 9”.
J1oAj TIL that the Michael Jackson episode of The Simpsons was permanently pulled from circulation in 2019 after almost 30 years on air
vPx4j TIL When Eric Prydz presented his song 'Call On Me' to Steve Winwood (the song heavily features a Winwood sample), he was so impressed he re-recorded the vocals for Prydz. Eric would later go 20 years refusing to play the song live citing a desire to distance himself from its commercial legacy
DQkop TIL that human bones contain piezoelectric crystals that generate tiny electrical currents when stressed—your skeleton literally produces electricity when you walk.