› added 1 year ago

49

TIL about the Battle of Cynoscephalae in modern day Thessaly which is the only known instance where the Roman side used war elephants. They won.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

Y7L5G TIL some sharks lay spiral shark eggs and others lay 'mermaid purses'. Some sharks are oviparous (lay eggs), some are viviparous (give birth to living young) and other sharks are ovoviviparous (the eggs hatch inside the mother before the young are born alive)
GAD91 TIL that Aimo Allan Koivunen was a Finnish soldier in the Continuation War and the first documented case of a soldier overdosing on methamphetamine during combat. He escaped Soviet forces, was injured by a land mine, and stayed in a ditch for a week, after having skied more than 400 km (248.5 mi).
a8Nk9 TIL that the longest time anyone has been awake is 11 days. In 1965, a 17-year-old named Randy Gardner stayed awake for a science experiment, breaking the world record. By the end, he experienced hallucinations and memory lapses.
rR8Kw TIL about an experiment "universe 25" that studied societal collapse due to overpopulation using rats that inspired the children’s book, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
1aVnP TIL Court dwarfs were often placed next to the king or queen during public appearances and ceremonies. The king or queen appeared larger in comparison, visually enhancing their powerful position.