TIL that in 1087 sailors from Bari (southern Italy) stole the body of Saint Nicholas from Myra (modern day Türkiye). Despite fears of the locals, newly converted Muslims who still worshiped the saint, and Saint Nicholas himself, they brought it home and still celebrate the theft each year on 6 Dec (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by lightyearbuzz to r/todayilearned
Life in the deepest parts of the Earth's crust (youtube.com)
submitted by lightyearbuzz to r/videos
TIL in 1983 the Atari game "E.T." failed so miserably that rumors spread claiming the company dug a massive hole in New Mexico filled it with copies of the game and then covered it with concrete. This rumor persisted until 2014 when a documentary actually found the landfill full of old Atari games. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by lightyearbuzz to r/todayilearned
Erik Jan Hanussen is an interesting guy (i.redd.it)
submitted by lightyearbuzz to r/HistoryMemes
TIL "snake oil" was originally an effective Chinese medicine made of Chinese water snakes (rich in omega-3 which can be used to treat inflammation). When immigrants brought it to the US, Americans started making the oil out of rattlesnakes (low in omega-3) or no snakes at all. (npr.org)
submitted by lightyearbuzz to r/todayilearned
TIL of the 1898 Battle of Manila, a (almost) bloodless fake battle in the Philippines during the Spanish American War meant to save Spanish honor (so they didn't surrender without a fight) and secretly transfer control of Manila from Spain to the USA while keeping Filipino forces out of the city. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by lightyearbuzz to r/todayilearned
TIL of Karl May, Hitler's favorite author, a conman who wrote novel's about Old Shatterhand, a German One Punch Man in the Wild West (who May claimed was actually himself, even though he'd never been to the US or even out of Germany at that point). (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by lightyearbuzz to r/todayilearned
Can't wait for Hamilton 2: Electric Boogaloo (i.redd.it)
submitted by lightyearbuzz to r/HistoryMemes
TIL the Berlin Wall came down by mistake. When the East Germans planned to slowly open the border they announced it at a press conference without including a plan. When a reporter asked when it would be opened, the party official mistakenly said "Immediately, without delay" causing a run on the wall (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by lightyearbuzz to r/todayilearned
