› added 11 months ago

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TIL of the courtesy flag - a small national maritime flag of the host country, flown by ships when entering a nation's territorial waters for the first time.

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QNbAM TIL that in 1900, a physician named Jesse William Lazear wanted to prove that yellow fever was transmitted by mosquitoes. He allowed an infected mosquito to bite him, and he became infected with yellow fever, proving his hypothesis correct. He died 17 days later.
0wEJy TIL a group of liberal arts students have been running a nuclear reactor for over 50 years and they scoop dropped items out of the reactor with a bucket and long stick
oBBaY Short answer: You’re less distracted by your native tongue.
N7ype TIL that the origin of why vampires can't see themselves in a mirror is because mirrors used to be made of polished silver. Which the purity of a pure metal like silver was abhorrent to supernatural creatures.
0wDaA TIL that there have been reports of "Earthquake lights" dating back to 869, where lights are said to appear in the sky near areas of tectonic stress, seismic activity or volcanic eruptions. Although skeptics will point to the lack of confirmed documentation