/f/todayilearned
TIL Andre Agassi won 10 of 11 matches after seeing a "tick" in Boris Becker's serve. Agassi could predict where Becker was serving based on whether Becker stuck his tongue out in the middle of his lip or to the left corner of his lip. Agassi told Becker over a pint of beer - after they retired.
insider.comSubmitted by theotherbogart t3_z7gz99
Submitted by iamoneeighty t3_z9lh0g
TIL in 2010, Washington D.C. held a mock election and invited hackers to test its online voting system. They managed to elect Master Control Program from "Tron" as mayor, Skynet from "Terminator" to Congress, and Bender from "Futurama" to the school board. It took D.C. officials two days to notice.
theglobeandmail.comSubmitted by Johnnycockseed t3_zfdclx
Submitted by catsloveart t3_zh6pjn
TIL about Henry Cotton, an asylum director who believed that all insanity was caused by sepsis in other parts poisoning the brain, leading to widespread amputation of his patients' colons, teeth, reproductive organs, and even stomachs in order to "cure" them, with as many as 45% dying as a result
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by BrokenEye3 t3_ziaa3e
TIL Joseph McCarthy falsely claimed participation in 32 aerial missions in order to qualify for a Distinguished Flying Cross and multiple awards of the Air Medal, which the Marine Corps chain of command decided to approve in 1952 because of his political influence
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by davetowers646 t3_zit6i2
TIL on the morning of July 26, 1184, Henry VI held court at the Petersberg Citadel. The weight of the assembled nobles caused the second story floor of the building to collapse. Most of the nobles fell into the latrine cesspit below the ground floor, where about 60 of them drowned in liquid shit.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by The_Critical_Cynic t3_zkduxg
TIL for 50+ years, Australian children in the outback attended school via shortwave radio and sent homework via air mail due to the distance between homes. "Schools of the Air" were many children's first social experience outside their families; its quality equaled or surpassed traditional schools'.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by lemontreelemur t3_znatfq
TIL Richard M. Daley authorized the midnight bulldozing of Meigs Field, a small, downtown, lakefront airport in Chicago. This stranded 16 planes on the ground including several Fire Department helicopters. The FAA fined the city $33,000 for not giving 30 days notice ahead of an airport closure.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by trifletruffles t3_znjl4x