Recent comments in /f/todayilearned

Nazamroth t1_j6ngxow wrote

Reply to comment by Jampine in TIL about cargo cults, where indigenous people of small tropical islands would perform elaborate rituals to mimic air traffic control and marching patterns after witnessing airplanes drop supplies on airforce bases during world war II. by sciencedit

Storm of Steel, i think it was? Where the iron warriors assault the gene seed planet. The guardsman has to chant the Hymn of Firing or whatever its called, but he doesnt know what that is.

So he gets frustrated, starts shouting FIRE YOU DAMN THING! and smashes a button with his fist. And lo and behold, the machine spirit listens.

31

Djinjja-Ninja t1_j6ngurq wrote

Reply to TIL about cargo cults, where indigenous people of small tropical islands would perform elaborate rituals to mimic air traffic control and marching patterns after witnessing airplanes drop supplies on airforce bases during world war II. by sciencedit

The craziest one has to be the Prince Philip Movement, where they believed that Prince Philip was divine.

Its to do with them seeing the amount of respect that was shown to Queen Elizabeth II, so therefore her husband must be even more powerful so they deified him.

57

Epic_Meow t1_j6ngj2f wrote

Reply to comment by Krasmaniandevil in TIL That the character who first said the phrase "fortune favours the bold" - Turnus, in the Aeneid, spends the rest of the story suffering military defeats before he's killed and heads to the underworld, miserable, at the end of the last book. by Equal_Caregiver_4909

but you're doing the same thing either way. unless their resume manages to catch your eye from the trash unexpectedly, maybe that's what you meant idk

1

Mysteriousdeer t1_j6nfd0w wrote

Reply to comment by El_Zedd_Campeador in TIL Jackie Robinson served in the first black tank unit to see action in WW2, but missed deployment due to his court-martial for refusing to move to the back of a bus. by R4G

WW2 wasn't Vietnam. It's bullshit there was issues, he did nothing wrong. I doubt he looked at it as dodging a bullet though.

The mentality from a lot of veterans of this period was more selfless. If you couldn't show up, they'd be one man down and someone else would take the risk for you. It's a good society when the general public is willing to risk their own lives so others don't have to. War shouldn't happen, but responding to Hitler was necessary and the general war effort was right.

That requires trust, which was lost in Vietnam because ain't no fortunate son that would've traded spots with a dude fighting the Vietcong.

32

Pifanjr t1_j6newun wrote

Reply to comment by Cubusphere in TIL about cargo cults, where indigenous people of small tropical islands would perform elaborate rituals to mimic air traffic control and marching patterns after witnessing airplanes drop supplies on airforce bases during world war II. by sciencedit

With the rain dance one there is some speculation that the dust being kicked up and thrown in the air during the dances actually could cause an increased chance of rain to fall, under the right conditions.

−11

Krasmaniandevil t1_j6ndhnx wrote

Reply to comment by Epic_Meow in TIL That the character who first said the phrase "fortune favours the bold" - Turnus, in the Aeneid, spends the rest of the story suffering military defeats before he's killed and heads to the underworld, miserable, at the end of the last book. by Equal_Caregiver_4909

That person would be lucky, but not very lucky. It's the whole "snatching victory from the jaws of defeat" angle that makes it.

9

BannedNeutrophil t1_j6nch3u wrote

Reply to comment by glintandswirl in Today I learned the first overseas Consulate of the United States was in Liverpool, established in 1790! by Seahawk124

It's not just a part of the Liverpool museum; we have the entire International Slavery Museum. It's a hard fact for any proud Liverpudlian to truly come to terms with, but some parts of our city's grandest histories were built with the blood of Africans.

Thankfully, the Penny Lane thing was disproven a few years ago. Although there are other streets in the area named after slavers, Penny Lane is now not thought to be one of them.

Liverpool was so involved with the American slave trade that the last official act of the Confederacy was the surrender of the CSS Shenandoah at our town hall. It was thought to be the friendliest place they could turn.

We are not proud of this aspect of our history.

3

pdieten t1_j6nccuq wrote

Reply to comment by Diplodocus114 in TIL When a cow has opposite sex twins, the female twin is usually born intersex and infertile. This happens because the twins blood supplies are linked, which exposes the female to male sex hormones. by awawe

Yeah, a regulation was enacted where I lived, and probably where you lived too, that notices had to be put up if a bull lived on the property even if all he did was stand there and chew his cud at you. Must have been sometime in the '80s, because one day when I was in my early teens Dad grabbed a big magic marker and wrote "Beware of bull" on the whitewashed doors to the barns.

2