› added 11 years ago

69

TIL the British empire was completely connected by telegraph via underwater cables.

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Y7yWP TIL Despite the historical nomenclature, the "imaginary" part of complex numbers have a mathematical existence as firm as that of the real numbers, and they are fundamental tools in the scientific description of the natural world.
m15XY TIL there is a species of mushroom that infects and zombifies carpenter ants. The mushroom slowly takes control of the ant’s motor functions and leads them away from the colony to die in a place ideal for growing. Then the mushroom grows out of the ant’s head.
b9ON TIL that the Mormon religion instructs their missionaries to openly lie and tell half-truths to protect the religion from criticism.
x678k TIL of the "Demon Cat" that is said to haunt both the US Capitol and White House. The first reports of its presence date back to 1862, and its presence is said to be an ill omen, with sightings presaging both the 1929 Stock Market Crash and JFK's assassination.
KOgrR TIL that most "close door" elevator buttons in the US are disabled due to the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires people with disabilities to be able to get into elevators safely.