TIL Charles Babbage lost 2 games of chess to the Mechanical Turk, an automaton with a chess player hidden inside that fooled people that a machine could play chess. He knew it was a hoax but it inspired his work on the Difference Engine and then the Analytical Engine, the world's first computer.
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Submitted October 19, 2019 at 10:01PM by GrumpyWendigo
via reddit https://ift.tt/32vWoLi
https://ift.tt/2f4Rq0J
Submitted October 19, 2019 at 10:01PM by GrumpyWendigo
via reddit https://ift.tt/32vWoLi
The Paris Review
The Grandmaster Hoax
In September 2006, the World Chess Championship devolved into a debate about bathrooms. One champion, Veselin Topalov, accused the other, Vladimir Kramnik, of excessive urination, hinting that Kramnik was retreating to the unmonitored bathroom to receive…
TIL: At the age of 7 and 8, future Argentinian serial killer Cayetano Godino was caught by police beating small children, but he was released and sent home due to his age. However, at age 10, his parents reported him to the police for masturbation, and he was jailed for 2 months for masturbating.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 01:33AM by marzipanmaddox
via reddit https://ift.tt/2BrZR1G
https://ift.tt/2J7s2ab
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 01:33AM by marzipanmaddox
via reddit https://ift.tt/2BrZR1G
Wikipedia
Cayetano Santos Godino
serial killer
TIL The song Macarena is about a girl who cheats on her boyfriend while he joins the military
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Submitted October 19, 2019 at 11:40PM by UsidoreTheLightBlue
via reddit https://ift.tt/2MvLT5a
https://ift.tt/2oYwdOF
Submitted October 19, 2019 at 11:40PM by UsidoreTheLightBlue
via reddit https://ift.tt/2MvLT5a
REFINERY29
The Real Meaning Behind "The Macarena" Will Shock You
Brace yourselves: That catchy dance craze by Los del Río from the '90s, best known as
TIL that Nathan "Nearest" Green, a slave, taught Jack Daniel how to brew whiskey. He became Daniel's Master Distiller, and is now known as "The Godfather of Tennessee Whiskey." His son George also became a Master Distiller and some of his descendants STILL work for Jack Daniel's Whiskey to this day.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 06:00AM by Teebombs
via reddit https://ift.tt/32ubZec
https://ift.tt/30yRfkd
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 06:00AM by Teebombs
via reddit https://ift.tt/32ubZec
CBS News
"Uncle Nearest" honors slave who taught Jack Daniel to make whiskey
Nathan "Nearest" Green was the first African American master distiller in the country
TIL that braille was originally invented by the French Army out of necessity after soldiers were being killed because they used lamps after dark to read combat messages. Soon after, Louis Braille, an eleven year old blind boy simplified it into what we use today.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 06:06AM by SHHAYSHAY
via reddit https://ift.tt/2MZ1mtc
https://ift.tt/2IAgqtT
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 06:06AM by SHHAYSHAY
via reddit https://ift.tt/2MZ1mtc
Braille Works
The History of Braille [Your Braille Resource] - Braille Works
The history of braille started in the early 1800's and is a system of touch reading for the blind in which raised dots represent letters of the alphabet.
TIL that Kentucky has 2 million more barrels of bourbon aging than total population.
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Submitted October 19, 2019 at 11:48PM by JustSomeGuy_Idk
via reddit https://ift.tt/2o2dWQf
https://ift.tt/2MuGNWN
Submitted October 19, 2019 at 11:48PM by JustSomeGuy_Idk
via reddit https://ift.tt/2o2dWQf
cincinnati
Drink up: 2 million more barrels of bourbon than people in Ky.
TIL Terry Pratchet was a huge Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion fan, and based his Discworld book "Snuff" on his dungeon crawling adventures. Additionally, he collaborated with modders in the midst of his battle with Alzheimers. Link is a very interesting article that goes into detail about it all.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 08:25AM by hautemeal
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Bqtdx4
https://ift.tt/2EtEoWV
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 08:25AM by hautemeal
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Bqtdx4
Eurogamer.net
The story behind the Oblivion mod Terry Pratchett worked on
Lead the way, Vilja!
TIL that, at the time of his death aged 97 years and 4 days, Harland Fairweather was the oldest person ever with a living parent. His mother Violent Brown died almost five months later at age 117.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 07:48AM by Futurist110
via reddit https://ift.tt/2pCYHxm
https://ift.tt/1N2ChGL
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 07:48AM by Futurist110
via reddit https://ift.tt/2pCYHxm
Wikipedia
Violet Brown
Jamaican supercentenarian
TIL In 1970, psychologist Timothy Leary was sentenced to 20 years in prison. On arrival, he was given a psychological evaluation (that he had designed himself) and answered the questions in a way that made him seem like a low risk. He was assigned to a lower-security prison from which he escaped.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 04:39PM by haddock420
via reddit https://ift.tt/33LCPi7
https://ift.tt/2GTjKj5
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 04:39PM by haddock420
via reddit https://ift.tt/33LCPi7
Wikipedia
Timothy Leary
American psychologist (1920-1996)
TIL: The Bradley Effect is when voters give inaccurate polling responses out of fear of stating their true preference. Members of the public may feel under pressure to provide an answer that is deemed to be more publicly acceptable.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 02:48PM by jamescookenotthatone
via reddit https://ift.tt/31zNXgt
https://ift.tt/1jM06d9
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 02:48PM by jamescookenotthatone
via reddit https://ift.tt/31zNXgt
Wikipedia
Bradley effect
theory about discrepancies between opinion polls and election results in the United States
TIL that The New York Times Best Seller list is made up by editors and has nothing to do with the actual number of books sold
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 04:17PM by ThomasMaker
via reddit https://ift.tt/2VZ6TUI
https://ift.tt/2hM5xXG
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 04:17PM by ThomasMaker
via reddit https://ift.tt/2VZ6TUI
Wikipedia
The New York Times Best Seller list
list of bestsellers of high regard in the U.S.A.
TIL a man in China sold his kidney to buy an iPhone when he was 17 and is now bedridden for life.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 03:16PM by MattyMattsReddit
via reddit https://ift.tt/2J1pASH
https://ift.tt/32vkOEx
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 03:16PM by MattyMattsReddit
via reddit https://ift.tt/2J1pASH
Fox News
Broke teen who sold kidney for an iPhone now bedridden for life
A Chinese man is now bedridden for life after he sold his right kidney as a teenager to the black market to buy the latest Apple products.
TIL that centipede bites aren't technically bites because their pincers (forcipules) that they use to inject venom are actually modified front legs and not part of their mouths.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 02:15PM by ex_natura
via reddit https://ift.tt/2J1mMVF
https://ift.tt/2MWIk6V
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 02:15PM by ex_natura
via reddit https://ift.tt/2J1mMVF
Wikipedia
Centipede bite
A centipede bite is an injury resulting from the action of a centipede's forcipules, stinger-like appendages that pierce the skin and inject venom into the wound. Such a wound is not strictly speaking a bite, as the forcipules are a modified first pair of…
TIL a study conducted at the University of Montreal showed that young people who played the 1996 game Super Mario 64 for just two months had increased spatial and episodic memory, which improves brain capacity and helping to forestall dementia.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 05:58PM by ryandmc609
via reddit https://ift.tt/2BoHeeX
https://ift.tt/2pFyQot
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 05:58PM by ryandmc609
via reddit https://ift.tt/2BoHeeX
The Telegraph
Super Mario could help prevent dementia, scientists say
Playing video games like Super Mario for two months can improve brain capacity and help forestall dementia, say scientists.
TIL that the song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King, was originally meant to have been sung by Timon and Pumbaa. This idea was scrapped after Elton John himself intervened, saying “I don't want a big, stinky warthog singing my love song!".
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 07:18PM by Tokyono
via reddit https://ift.tt/2MWuxNJ
https://ift.tt/2Pajh2O
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 07:18PM by Tokyono
via reddit https://ift.tt/2MWuxNJ
Oprah Magazine
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" Was Originally Written for Timon and Pumbaa
Let us explain.
TIL a long-lost Rembrandt painting was found in a basement in New Jersey. It was initially valued by a local auction house at $800, who were unaware of its true value. But numerous art buffs recognised its true value, resulting in it selling for $870,000 ($1.1 million with the sale premium).
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 10:10PM by Tokyono
via reddit https://ift.tt/2MY7QbV
https://ift.tt/32yZ5LY
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 10:10PM by Tokyono
via reddit https://ift.tt/2MY7QbV
Reuters
Rembrandt painting found in New Jersey basement now in museum
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A painting languishing in a New Jersey basement that turned out to be one of Dutch master Rembrandt’s earliest works goes on display on Wednesday at the J. Paul Getty Museum in California as a key part of an exhibit on the 17th century…
TIL Japan Railways kept the underused Kyu-shirataki Station, located in a remote area of Hokkaido, Japan, open for an extra year for a single passenger -- a high school girl who needed to train to commute to class
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 10:33PM by Mike_ZzZzZ
via reddit https://ift.tt/33KaNnh
https://ift.tt/35T16of
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 10:33PM by Mike_ZzZzZ
via reddit https://ift.tt/33KaNnh
reddit
TIL Japan Railways kept the underused Kyu-shirataki Station,...
Posted in r/todayilearned by u/Mike_ZzZzZ • 249 points and 19 comments
TIL that the US Army never gave the Native Americans smallpox infested blankets as a tool of genocide. The US did inflict countless atrocities against the natives, but the smallpox blankets story was fabricated by a University of Colorado professor.
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 10:24PM by ryguy32789
via reddit https://ift.tt/2J5cZ0G
https://ift.tt/2bfSyw7
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 10:24PM by ryguy32789
via reddit https://ift.tt/2J5cZ0G
reddit
TIL that the US Army never gave the Native Americans smallpox...
Posted in r/todayilearned by u/ryguy32789 • 50,332 points and 2,901 comments
TIL Beauty and the Beast and Rumpelstiltskin are about 4,000 years old; the oldest fairy tale, The Smith and the Devil, is estimated to be 6,000 years old
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 11:48PM by kreevlov
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Bpz5Hb
https://ift.tt/35R8h0o
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 11:48PM by kreevlov
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Bpz5Hb
BBC News
Fairy tale origins thousands of years old, researchers say
Fairy tales like Beauty and the Beast can be traced back thousands of years, according to researchers at universities in Durham and Lisbon.
TIL Primatology pioneer Dian Fossey, determined to save the nearly-extinct Mountain Gorillas waged a war against poachers: she led armed patrols, burned their huts, arrested and placed bounties on poachers and convinced the locals that she practiced black magic, in order to scare them away
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Submitted October 21, 2019 at 12:43AM by Ainsley-Sorsby
via reddit https://ift.tt/2VWWsB6
https://ift.tt/2yRHwuR
Submitted October 21, 2019 at 12:43AM by Ainsley-Sorsby
via reddit https://ift.tt/2VWWsB6
the Guardian
Fossey murder suspect arrested
The Rwandan official accused of masterminding the savage murder of Dian Fossey, the US zoologist made famous by the film Gorillas in the Mist, has been arrested in Belgium and is likely to be interrogated by the FBI, it emerged yesterday.
TIL of the Ibrahim Prize. a $5 million payout plus $200,000 per year given to African leaders who were democratically elected and left office after their term was up as part of their criteria. For 7 of the 12 years it was offered, it was never awarded to anyone
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Submitted October 20, 2019 at 10:15PM by IVTD4KDS
via reddit https://ift.tt/2VYRPGJ
https://ift.tt/1J5br0R
Submitted October 20, 2019 at 10:15PM by IVTD4KDS
via reddit https://ift.tt/2VYRPGJ
Wikipedia
Ibrahim Prize
award