TIL that instead of using the idiom, "It's all Greek to me," when something looks like gibberish, the Greeks themselves often say, "It's Turkish," Turks say, "It's French," the French say, "It's Hebrew," Hebrew speakers say, "It's Chinese," and Chinese people say, "This looks like its from Mars."
https://ift.tt/1kPO6W3
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 08:35AM by MontysBeret
via reddit https://ift.tt/3b4eyZ5
https://ift.tt/1kPO6W3
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 08:35AM by MontysBeret
via reddit https://ift.tt/3b4eyZ5
Wikipedia
Greek to me
idiom for something not understandable
TIL King Louis the 14th of France had many bizarre rules in place at the palace of Versailles. One of these rules was that no person could knock on his door, instead they had to scratch the door with their left pinky finger. This lead to a large amount of nobles to grow out their left pinky nail.
https://ift.tt/2S8hAD3
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 10:54AM by Ghost_toast123
via reddit https://ift.tt/2RMCdFV
https://ift.tt/2S8hAD3
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 10:54AM by Ghost_toast123
via reddit https://ift.tt/2RMCdFV
reddit
TIL King Louis the 14th of France had many bizarre rules in place...
Posted in r/todayilearned by u/Ghost_toast123 • 337 points and 21 comments
TIL Ewa Wisnerska is a professional paraglider who in 2007 was sucked into a storm cloud and survived being 10,000 metres in the air without oxygen and subjected to temperatures of -50 °c. after an hour and falling back down to 6,900 metres she came to and was able to fly her way back down to earth.
https://ift.tt/2Oij7oR
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 12:51PM by Ghost_toast123
via reddit https://ift.tt/2RLlouY
https://ift.tt/2Oij7oR
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 12:51PM by Ghost_toast123
via reddit https://ift.tt/2RLlouY
Reuters
German paraglider survives being sucked into killer storm
CANBERRA (Reuters) - A German paraglider was encased in ice and blacked out after being sucked into a tornado-like thunderstorm in Australia and carried to a height greater than Mount Everest. She survived.
TIL 60-65% of scholarships and grants either require less than a 3.5 GPA, or don’t ask for a GPA requirement at all. Students would actually be surprised at the sheer number of scholarship opportunities that don’t ask for a GPA requirement. These mostly geared toward extra-curricular activities.
https://ift.tt/2Ogayv2
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 07:15AM by lopezjessy
via reddit https://ift.tt/2S8GNgF
https://ift.tt/2Ogayv2
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 07:15AM by lopezjessy
via reddit https://ift.tt/2S8GNgF
reddit
TIL 60-65% of scholarships and grants either require less than a...
Posted in r/todayilearned by u/lopezjessy • 608 points and 34 comments
TIL: In 1775, Mass. farmer Samuel Whittemore, 78 and alone, fired upon British soldiers killing 3. Now out of ammo, he drew his sword to continue the fight. He was shot in the face, bayoneted multiple times, and left for dead. When found, he was trying to reload his musket. He died 18 years later.
https://ift.tt/2SdoAyq
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 01:32PM by nickbmd
via reddit https://ift.tt/2S4XGJ8
https://ift.tt/2SdoAyq
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 01:32PM by nickbmd
via reddit https://ift.tt/2S4XGJ8
New England Historical Society
Samuel Whittemore, The Oldest, Bravest and Maybe Craziest American Revolutionary
On April 18, 1775, British soldiers left Samuel Whittemore in a pool of blood alongside a stone wall in Menotomy, Mass. As they retreated from the Battles of Lexington and Concord, they had shot the old farmer in the face. Then they bayoneted him at least…
TIL that in the 1960's, Chrysler created a car, the Chrysler Turbine, that could run on many alternate fuels, including: kerosene, jet fuel, perfume, tequila, peanut oil, soybean oil, and furnace oil!
https://ift.tt/1JNCRtu
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 02:38PM by TwoTheVictor
via reddit https://ift.tt/2uRav1K
https://ift.tt/1JNCRtu
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 02:38PM by TwoTheVictor
via reddit https://ift.tt/2uRav1K
Wikipedia
Chrysler Turbine Car
automobiles powered by gas turbine engines
TIL that white bears attempting to capture salmon are 30 percent more successful than black bears during the daytime, presumably because, from the perspective of fish in the river, the white bears are less visible against the sky.
https://ift.tt/2RMnRVW
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 05:00PM by 3lchupacabra
via reddit https://ift.tt/36OgGRi
https://ift.tt/2RMnRVW
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 05:00PM by 3lchupacabra
via reddit https://ift.tt/36OgGRi
Smithsonian Magazine
This Rare, White Bear May Be the Key to Saving a Canadian Rainforest
The white Kermode bear of British Columbia is galvanizing First Nations people fighting to protect their homeland
TIL Lego keeps a vault in Denmark that keeps a pristine copy of every set ever made since day one.
https://youtu.be/EgFvzpB6BsQ
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 05:30PM by eldri7ch
via reddit https://ift.tt/31fxWhn
https://youtu.be/EgFvzpB6BsQ
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 05:30PM by eldri7ch
via reddit https://ift.tt/31fxWhn
YouTube
Inside the LEGO Archive Vault in Denmark
Subscribe for awesome new LEGO videos every day! https://goo.gl/xFsBuQ
Watch our return to the LEGO archive in 2018! https://youtu.be/IBqoouwKZ1g
Beyond the Brick's Joshua Hanlon gives you a tour of LEGO's Memory Lane archive in Billund, Denmark. It contains…
Watch our return to the LEGO archive in 2018! https://youtu.be/IBqoouwKZ1g
Beyond the Brick's Joshua Hanlon gives you a tour of LEGO's Memory Lane archive in Billund, Denmark. It contains…
TIL that Venice is supported not by the surface of islets but by literally millions of wooden piles under the Venice Lagoon.
https://ift.tt/37JtWYV
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 04:03PM by Annettethegreat
via reddit https://ift.tt/2toRmUE
https://ift.tt/37JtWYV
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 04:03PM by Annettethegreat
via reddit https://ift.tt/2toRmUE
Venice by Venetians
VENICE FOUNDATIONS: HOW VENICE WAS BUILT? - Venice by Venetians
Have you ever asked yourself how Venice was built? In this item we talk about Venice foundations. Clay, poles, 'caranto', you'll know everything!
TIL The U.S. has spent 20$ billion (£12.5 billion) on air conditioning annually in Iraq and Afghanistan
https://ift.tt/2tfOUj0
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 05:42PM by agit13
via reddit https://ift.tt/2u9Qljx
https://ift.tt/2tfOUj0
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 05:42PM by agit13
via reddit https://ift.tt/2u9Qljx
Telegraph.co.uk
US spends £12.5 billion a year on air con in Iraq and Afghanistan
The US military spends about $20 billion (£12.5 billion) a year just to air-condition its bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, a retired senior officer has claimed.
TIL an unarmed gym teacher in Serbia wrestled an automatic rifle from a man trying to take students hostage. When the man fired warning shots in the ceiling of a philosophy classroom, students called the gym teacher for help; the gym teacher's hands were injured, but no students were harmed.
https://ift.tt/37vTngK
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 05:59PM by Miskatonica
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Ug2QER
https://ift.tt/37vTngK
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 05:59PM by Miskatonica
via reddit https://ift.tt/2Ug2QER
reddit
TIL an unarmed gym teacher in Serbia wrestled an automatic rifle...
Posted in r/todayilearned by u/Miskatonica • 329 points and 19 comments
TIL U.S sprayed nearly 20 million gallons of chemical herbicides and defoliants during Vietnam war as a part of Operation Ranch Hand. Longstanding effects of the sprayed chemicals led to approximately 400,000 deaths and at least 500,000 children born with congenital disorders in Vietnam.
https://ift.tt/2eTfeqU
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 06:49PM by sdsanth
via reddit https://ift.tt/2ubTjUz
https://ift.tt/2eTfeqU
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 06:49PM by sdsanth
via reddit https://ift.tt/2ubTjUz
reddit
TIL U.S sprayed nearly 20 million gallons of chemical herbicides...
Posted in r/todayilearned by u/sdsanth • 31,351 points and 1,840 comments
TIL: The blob of toothpaste that sits on your toothbrush is called a "nurdle".
https://ift.tt/2SzqE1S
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 11:56AM by AsianWithBadAcademic
via reddit https://ift.tt/2GLp49I
https://ift.tt/2SzqE1S
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 11:56AM by AsianWithBadAcademic
via reddit https://ift.tt/2GLp49I
Reuters
What’s a nurdle? Well, Colgate and Glaxo are sparring over the word
While some may have never heard of the word nurdle, it is at the center of a trademark lawsuit filed by consumer product company Colgate-Palmolive against drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline.
TIL that when Weird Al Yankovic created the music video for “Smells Like Nirvana”, he used many of the same props and actors from Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video. It was also shot in the same location. He was helped by the producers of the original Nirvana video.
https://ift.tt/1EcyqXV
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 08:23PM by Tokyono
via reddit https://ift.tt/31kSchM
https://ift.tt/1EcyqXV
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 08:23PM by Tokyono
via reddit https://ift.tt/31kSchM
Wikipedia
Smells Like Nirvana
"Smells Like Nirvana" is a parody of Nirvana's song "Smells Like Teen Spirit", written and performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic; it was released both as a single and as part of Yankovic's Off the Deep End album in April 1992. "Smells Like Nirvana" was written…
TIL When printers started to print books in the 15th century, they used scraps of ancient and medieval parchments to help bind the book. Examining the bindings, historians have reconstructed old texts. Some texts only survive in the modern day in this way.
https://ift.tt/2xPv4Km
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 09:26PM by deep_sea2
via reddit https://ift.tt/2uT51Ub
https://ift.tt/2xPv4Km
Submitted February 01, 2020 at 09:26PM by deep_sea2
via reddit https://ift.tt/2uT51Ub
Wikipedia
Fragmentology (manuscripts)
study of manuscript fragments
TIL that roundabouts reduce fatalities from accidents by 72-82%. They also lower wait times and save gas.
https://ift.tt/2vI1fNY
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 12:10AM by VictorJ45
via reddit https://ift.tt/2ueosqq
https://ift.tt/2vI1fNY
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 12:10AM by VictorJ45
via reddit https://ift.tt/2ueosqq
reddit
TIL that roundabouts reduce fatalities from accidents by 72-82%....
Posted in r/todayilearned by u/VictorJ45 • 296 points and 59 comments
TIL that serial child molester and GOP House speaker Dennis Hastert served only 15 months for illegal efforts to hide hush money payments to victims
https://ift.tt/2vzO0td
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 01:08AM by roy_battys_tears
via reddit https://ift.tt/2ubd2Uy
https://ift.tt/2vzO0td
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 01:08AM by roy_battys_tears
via reddit https://ift.tt/2ubd2Uy
NY Times
Dennis Hastert, Ex-House Speaker Who Admitted Sex Abuse, Leaves Prison
Mr. Hastert, who pleaded guilty in 2015 to financial crimes tied to a sex abuse cover-up, will serve the rest of his sentence in a halfway house.
TIL a Dallas middle school wanted to do a "Breakfast with Dads," but many boys had absentee fathers; so the school put out a call on social media, hoping for 50 male mentors. 600 men showed up. An icebreaker was teaching the boys, ages 11-13, how to tie a necktie in a half Windsor knot.
https://ift.tt/2UhdnzK
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 01:35AM by Miskatonica
via reddit https://ift.tt/2GLMlZq
https://ift.tt/2UhdnzK
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 01:35AM by Miskatonica
via reddit https://ift.tt/2GLMlZq
TODAY.com
School needed volunteers to stand in for dads; 600 men showed up
When Dade Middle School sent a batcall asking for men to fill in at a Breakfast for Dads, they never expected 600 superheroes to answer.
TIL that when horses are born, their hooves are covered in a rubbery layer called a deciduous hoof capsule. This capsule covers the sharp edges of the foal’s untried hooves, protecting both the foal and its mother from injury during birth. The capsules fall off soon after birth.
https://ift.tt/38TzaBs
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 12:33AM by annieesquad
via reddit https://ift.tt/37QgBOA
https://ift.tt/38TzaBs
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 12:33AM by annieesquad
via reddit https://ift.tt/37QgBOA
Honest To Paws
Foal hooves are really, really gross-looking, and here’s why
Horses are some of the planet's most stunning creatures. However, when they're born, there's something truly... odd... about their hooves. Take a look!
TIL the Icelandic language was kept isolated for so long that modern speakers can still read and understand texts written in Old Norse, the language of the original viking settlers from Scandinavia that settled the Island over 1000 years ago.
https://ift.tt/3b1qFWU
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 02:13AM by untipoquenojuega
via reddit https://ift.tt/2GKc04v
https://ift.tt/3b1qFWU
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 02:13AM by untipoquenojuega
via reddit https://ift.tt/2GKc04v
From Foreign to Familiar
Icelandic Language History: From Old Norse to Modern Day
In episode 2 of The All Things Iceland podcast, I share a brief history of the Icelandic language. Learn how it was formed and the efforts to preserve it.
TIL a duck is called a duck because it ducks its head under the water to feed. The animal was named after the verb and not the other way around.
https://ift.tt/14xh7ja
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 02:14AM by xe3to
via reddit https://ift.tt/2ubj5IK
https://ift.tt/14xh7ja
Submitted February 02, 2020 at 02:14AM by xe3to
via reddit https://ift.tt/2ubj5IK
Wikipedia
Duck
common name for many species in the bird family Anatidae