› added 12 years ago

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TIL that nations like the former USSR, Sweden, and a majority of other European nations have stockpiled reserves of steam locomotives in case something happens that renders their diesel or electric fleets inoperable, such as a Nuclear EMP event.

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16wk7 TIL that there are only about 30 Ancient Egyptian obelisks left standing worldwide—and Italy has more than Egypt.
oRmWK TIL that while Crown is not a commonly recognized Toyota model nowadays, many of the long-standing model names of Toyota mean “crown” in different languages (Corolla, Camry (カムリ), Corona).
QNyrX Today I learned of the 1788 specialized dictionary "A Classical History of the Vulgar Tongue", by Francis Grose which includes 500 plus pages of virtually all the best lowbrow slang, dirty words and rude insults to be found in 18th century language.
p8LpN TIL: Acclaimed poet Maya Angelou was the first African-American female to operate a streetcar trolley in San Francisco, and got her license to do so at age 16
W7GaL TIL the Iraivan Temple on Kauai is the only all-granite, hand-carved Hindu temple in the West built without power tools or electricity. It is modeled after temples from ancient India. Its construction began in 1990 and completed in 2023. Less than 1% of Hawaii’s population is Hindu and on Kauai.