Today I learned - Nostr Hypermedia

TIL George Washington prevented a military coup over unpaid back wages by putting on a pair of glasses to read a letter from Congress, explaining he was "almost blind in the service of my country.” Moved to tears, his officers compromised.

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The Time George Washington Prevented A Military Coup With His Glasses

As a group of disgruntled veterans gathered to protest their treatment, showing a weakness made our founding father strong.

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL In January 1944 the Australian 9th Division found the Japanese 20th Division’s entire cryptographic library in New Guinea. The codes were buried in a steel trunk during a retreat and found by engineers looking for mines. This find lead to around 36,000 messages being decrypted in March alone.

DVIDS

Japanese code library found in New Guinea

On January 19, 1944, the Australian Ninth Infantry Division uncovered the Japanese 20th Division’s entire cryptographic library in Sio, New Guine...

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL Nigel Richards recently won the 2024 Spanish World Scrabble Championship by going 21-0 despite not speaking Spanish.

1News

Kiwi wins Spanish-language Scrabble comp without speaking language

Nigel Richards has taken out Spain's World Scrabble Championships for 2024 — despite not speaking the language.

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL of the pumpkin toadlet, a tiny frog the size of a Tic Tac that has trouble landing after a jump because their semicircular canals have gotten so small that they're not sensitive enough to be used to detect angular acceleration. They often end up flopping backwards or doing backflips instead. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-the-tuesday-edition-1.649… #til #todayilearned

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL you can get killed from fermented food (by a bacterium that contaminates it)

Poison Control

Bongkrekic acid poisoning from fermented food | Poison Control

Bongkrekic acid is a deadly poison that is found in fermented food including wet noodles and presscake from China, Indonesia, and Mozambique. Bongk...

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL in 1991, the US killed over 400 Iraqis taking cover in a civilian bomb shelter with Raytheon “Bunker Busters”

Amiriyah shelter bombing - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL The Strauss–Howe Generational Theory. The Theory states that a crisis recurs in American history after every saeculum (85 years), which is followed by a recovery. 85 years ago was the invasion of Poland and the beginning of WW2.

Strauss–Howe generational theory - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL about seasteading, the creation of permanent dwellings in international waters (seasteads) that are independent of governments. No one has yet created a structure recognized as a state. Proposed structures have included modified cruise ships, refitted oil platforms, and custom floating islands.

Seasteading - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL about Dick Stevenson, the legendary Canadian bartender who invented the “sour toe” cocktail. The drink contains a mummified human toe and in when Dick died 5 years ago, his will stated that all 10 of his toes be used in making sour toe cocktails.

the Guardian

Legendary Canadian bartender

‘Captain Dick’ Stevenson requested all 10 of his toes be donated for use in the ‘sour toe’ whiskey cocktail he invented

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL that I can use Photoshop generative fill online and for free. https://firefly.adobe.com/ #til #todayilearned

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL FATCA effectively bans Americans from opening bank accounts abroad

Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL less than half (43%) of the cells in the body are human. The rest belong to microorganisms and bacteria.

Voice of America

We're Only About 43% Human, Study Shows

The human body has been found to play host to a great many microorganisms that can impact a person’s mood and health

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL Brutus the Barber recounted a tale that Andre the Giant once had an emergency BM on a flight to Tokyo. Being too big to use the toilet, the crew improvised with a trash bag for him to use in a pinch but the smell filled the cabin leading to people puking, crying and falling out of seats. https://www.cinemablend.com/wrestling/wwe-legend-shares-andre-the-giant-story-… #til #todayilearned

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL That David Schwimmer turned down the lead role in Men in Black

David Schwimmer on Why He Turned Down 'Men in Black' Role

David Schwimmer doesn't regret turning down Men in Black, but knows his 'career would have taken a very different trajectory' if he ...

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL about the Island of the Dolls (La Isla de las Muñecas) in Mexico, where hundreds of decaying dolls hang from trees. The island’s caretaker, Don Julián Santana, believed he was haunted by a drowned girl’s spirit and began collecting dolls to appease her.

Island of the Dolls - Wikipedia

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL The Netherlands "declared war" on the Isles of Scilly in 1651. A peace treaty was signed in 1986 after a historian informed the Dutch Embassy in London that the war was still technically ongoing. It lasted 335 years and not a single shot was fired. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Hundred_and_Thirty_Five_Years #til #todayilearned

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL That the 'Wedding Ring Effect' (the idea that women find men signalling engagement or having a partner more attractive) does not exist.

PubMed

Human mate choice and the wedding ring effect : Are married men more attractive? - PubMed

Individuals are often restricted to indirect cues when assessing the mate value of a potential partner. Females of some species have been shown to ...

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Today I learned 1 year ago

TIL "A True Story", the earliest known work of fiction to include travel to outer space, alien lifeforms, and interplanetary warfare, begins with an explanation that the story is not at all "true" and ends with a lie that their future adventures will be described in the upcoming sequels.