› added 12 years ago

108

TIL that the Plymouth Colony pilgrims adopted communism, and it failed horribly

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OJM6 TIL the Liters of Light project uses no electricity to illuminate windowless homes in and beyond the Philippines - their solution uses a recycled plastic bottle with some water and bleach yet provides the equivalent output of a 60-watt bulb
4XA7w TIL transgender/LGBT rights in Thailand are extremely advanced. Due to Thailand being 94% buddhist, which believes that you only occupy a body in this life, so your spirit is different. So if you're born a man but feel a woman, there's more societal acceptance that the body is wrong not the mind.
gMZv9 TIL that Steve Carell had only seen about half of the original pilot episode of the British series before he auditioned for The Office. He did not continue watching for fear that he would start copying Gervais's characterizations
4kXX5 TIL Progress bars exist because it suggests something is being accomplished, which makes the wait seem shorter and more bearable.
6YOJ TIL scientists have dosed naked mole rats with carcinogens and radiation, yet they have never been observed to develop cancer. They tolerate acid, live 6x longer than other rodents, they hardly age, they survive long periods of oxygen deprivation and can live in heavy metal polluted areas.