TIL that Für Elise, arguably Beethoven’s most popular work, was never published during his life. It was published 40 years after his death when music scholar Ludwig Nohl discovered it. The identity of Elise has never been confirmed. by whatilearned December 5, 2021, 3:33 am 12 Points Upvote Downvote
17 Comments TIL Marcus Licinius Crassus arguably the richest man in ancient Rome was known to show up to burning houses with a fire brigade, offering to put out the fire if the owner first sold him the house at a miserable price. If the owner refused, he would let the house burn to the ground. by whatilearned October 21, 2021, 6:29 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
TIL of Amaro Pargo, arguably the most successful Spanish corsair during the golden age of piracy, he’d attack British & Dutch ships and is known to have fought contemporaries such as blackbeard. He rose to nobility for his services to the Spanish crown and died the richest man on the Canary Islands. by whatilearned October 4, 2021, 3:39 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
1 Comment TIL at the time of the Russian Revolution, the Winter Palace held arguably the best stocked wine cellar in history. The Bolsheviks tried to pipe it out of the palace into the Neva River, to avoid a drunken mob. This led to crowds clustering around the palace drains, and a drunken mob formed anyway by whatilearned August 12, 2021, 9:43 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
1 Comment TIL the Academy Award-winning documentary “Colette” was released as part of the gallery mode for the VR game “Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond”. Thus, though not mentioned by name in the citation, “Above and Beyond” is arguably the first video game ever to receive an Oscar for its content. by whatilearned June 9, 2021, 1:45 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
4 Comments TIL of the fish kick, a technique in swimming where the swimmer turns sideways and mimics the motion of an eel. It is arguably the fastest way to swim and was once famously used in the 2000 Olympics by Misty Hyman to win the 200m butterfly. However, this kick is rarely used owing to its difficulty. by whatilearned May 26, 2021, 4:51 pm 12 Points Upvote Downvote
whatilearned