› added 8 months ago

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TIL that in the name of the element "Helium", the "-ium" prefix is typically only applied to metals, but the astronomer who discovered it & coined the name wasn't aware of the naming convention

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wDGY TIL that researchers have patented a strain of seaweed that tastes like bacon when cooked and contains twice the nutritional value of kale.
wLjV1 TIL about Neale McShane, an Aussie police officer who patrolled a beat of over 90,000 square miles (the size of the UK) all by himself.
E4QP TIL there are no known cases of elevators free-falling and killing the passengers inside
l71oA TIL Acronyms are pronounced as if it were a word like “SARS.” Unlike initialisms like “ATM” which are pronounced using the names of its letters.
GY9X1 TIL After an MIT student discovered a security flaw in Bostons subway fare collection system. Instead of fixing the problem the city sued the student and newspapers who reported it, then tried to have a Judge hold the student in contempt of court if he publicly spoke about the security flaw.