Things you should have known about but until recently, you didn't.

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v0n

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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The Great Lines Of Defence
Way older than I care to admit when I found out that Waterloo is in Belgium.

It was also the first loo powered by water in Europe. (couldn't resist)

There isn't a formal metric version for the word "mileage".

There is. Metrage. (as in square metrage etc.). It's also the same word in just about every European language.


On September the 11th 1683, approx 20000 cavalry lead by the Polish Winged Hussars routed the Ottomans who had Austrian Vienna under siege. This stopped the Islam incursions into Europe, and probably changed the course of history quite significantly.

The winged hussars were called so because of the massive white wings strapped to the back of their suit of armour. The loud whirring of the wings was to make the units sound as if there were thousands of them approaching at speed and would also strike panic to enemy horses but also, it was one of the first examples of psychological warfare - the Ottomans would see statues of angels while plundering and burning churches of Europe, and then one day they would meet them on battlefield - silver armoured mythical creatures with massive white wings stretched to heavens charging straight at them. "Where is your god now"?


Up until this year I didn't realise Rio wasn't capital of Brasil. I plead Mandela Effect on this one.
 
Soldato
Joined
26 Aug 2003
Posts
24,262
I don't think this is anything that anyone should know as such, but I was really interested to find it out.

The word escalate didn't exist until after the invention of the escalator, and that's where the word is from. I found it really interesting that such a widely used word actually came from the machine, not the other way around.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2007
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5,613
Location
England
I don't think this is anything that anyone should know as such, but I was really interested to find it out.

The word escalate didn't exist until after the invention of the escalator, and that's where the word is from. I found it really interesting that such a widely used word actually came from the machine, not the other way around.

If you are interested in words I highly recommend you get the full Oxford English Dictionary. Yes I know it costs £750 but it is the best thing I ever bought.

Edit: Just to clarify I got the miniaturised version which is a single volume and you need a magnifying glass to read. That is much cheaper.
 
Caporegime
Joined
23 Dec 2011
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Northern England
If you are interested in words I highly recommend you get the full Oxford English Dictionary. Yes I know it costs £750 but it is the best thing I ever bought.

Edit: Just to clarify I got the miniaturised version which is a single volume and you need a magnifying glass to read. That is much cheaper.

Bet you're just a laugh a minute at parties.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2007
Posts
5,613
Location
England
Bet you're just a laugh a minute at parties.

Heh. When I used to go to parties I used to combat my social anxiety by drinking a lot of alcohol and taking drugs so if you think that it is fun to be around someone making a fool of themselves then yes I was a laugh a minute at parties. I didn't take the dictionary along though. It is 20 volumes long and weighs an absolute ton. You need a car really to carry the damn thing around with you. Even the edition I've got is a pain in the arse to carry around.
 
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