› added 3 years ago

173

TIL that in 2017 an Ecuadorian adventurer ran a half marathon 2.5 miles underground. At that depth the air is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and 80% humidity, air pressure 1.4 times normal. He passed out after 15 minutes during his first training session in similar conditions on the surface.

Read more aa.com.tr

via reddit.com

KYZw TIL that President Bush wrote personal letters to the families of over 4,000 troops who died in the two wars.
p0yN TIL two Chicago men once tried to rob a restaurant with a squirt gun, but the owner told them he was too busy right now and to come back in an hour. They did. And the police were waiting for them.
0loA TIL the Titanic’s coal stores had been burning for weeks before she set sail, damaging the starboard side of the ship where the iceberg hit. There was not only a cover-up, but evidence that the fire damaged the hull enough to be a large contributing factor to why the iceberg caused such damage.
o6Yr TIL Gargoyles are designed to spout water; though often called gargoyles, other statues on gothic buildings are properly called chimeras or grotesques.
VMVbQ TIL the 1940 Olympics were to be held in Tokyo (summer) and Sapporo (winter), but both were cancelled because of WWII. If the 2020 Olympics are cancelled, Tokyo (and Sapporo, hosting the marathon) will be the only cities to have had the games cancelled twice.