› added 1 year ago

271

TIL: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers drained Niagra Falls in 1969. It ended up attracting more visitors than any other feat attempted at the falls. The engineers wanted to find a way to remove the unseemly boulders that had piled up at its base since 1931, cutting the height of the falls in half...

xJP5 TIL that flight attendants hate serving Diet Coke because at the high altitude it takes up to three times longer for its fizz to settle than for other soft drinks.
PYk7J TIL that Boar Taint is a foul odor/taste in Pork products that affects 1 in 5 male pigs. Most people can sense it when present and it puts some eaters off Pork forever. It derives from uncastrated male pigs hitting puberty. Smelly pig.
bx9p TIL the stimulating effects of coffee were first observed in the 9th century by goat herders who noticed their goats started ‘dancing’ after eating coffee berries.
0wdgA In less than two generations, population sizes of vertebrate species have dropped by more than 50 percent. According to 2014’s Living Planet Report, this means we have lost over half of our birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, and mammals.The situation is dire, but are we too late? National Geographic Emerging Explorer Shah Selbe expands on what has caused this decline and if it's possible to reverse humanity’s effect on these populations.
xV7J0 TIL Spain's newest submarine was 75+ tons heavier than expected because someone put a decimal point in the wrong place. It could go down, but might not come up again.