Today I learned

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/38464735

Today I learned that Wernher von Braun (of Nazi Rocket Scientist infamy) wrote a sci-fi novel about Mars colonisation. In 1971 a South African racist named his son after the book's

cross-posted from: https://trouth.eu/users/Kathrin/statuses/114047987329527365

@todayilearned Today I learned that Wernher von Braun (of Nazi Rocket Scientist infamy) wrote a sci-fi novel about Mars colonisation. In 1971 a South African racist named his son after the book's Martian Leader: Elon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project/_Mars:/_A/_Technical/_Tale#The_%22Elon%22

@todayilearned Today I learned that Wernher von Braun (of Nazi Rocket Scientist infamy) wrote a sci-fi novel about Mars colonisation. In 1971 a South African racist named his son after the book's Martian Leader: Elon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project/_Mars:/_A/_Technical/_Tale#The_%22Elon%22

… yes they used cow gut/intestines 🐄🐄. 7 layers of cow gut where sewn onto a carrier layer of fabric to create an airtight balloon that could hold hydrogen lifting gas for some days 🎈. 50.000 cows where slaughtered for one gas-cell

Advantages over rubber of cow gut:

• rubber-cotton balloons got brittle with repeated uses with hydrogen filling. Cow gut is a flexible material that lasted longer, though expensive.
• rubber balloons can get statically charged. A small spark can flame all the hydrogen at once. Cattle gut does not charge as quickly as rubber.

Source:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldbeater%27s_skin#Applications
• https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldschl%C3%A4gerhaut german article mentions some more numbers data.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airship#Envelope

i know someone who is a native russian speaker and said they were “eating lunch” at 5pm despite already having eaten lunch. i was confused, and either figured they were having a second or late lunch, when i found this:

It's just another French word we fucked up.

"fraud, deception, humbug"

She killed Seabird on the new episode "Hope N' Mic Night".

and Aldous Huxley died while on LSD

Fun day.

Also, I learned that Doctor Who is considered a single TV series that has run for 60 years, not a bunch of remakes. (That might be common knowledge, I've never watched it.)