› added 6 years ago

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TIL in 2012 an extreme solar storm missed Earth by 9 days that could have caused nearly $2.5 trillion dollars in damage and loss of power for years on end. There is a 12% chance of a solar storm with the same magnitude to hit us in the next decade.

Read more science.nasa.gov

via reddit.com

9YMoB TIL: The music video for Buddy Holly by Weezer was included on the Windows 95 CD-ROM.
OGBP1 TIL Freenet, the first darknet and the network often cited as the beginning of the "dark web", was originally a thesis project by Edinburgh University student Ian Clarke. It received a B.
OGnRe TIL that giraffes used to be called "camelopards", because medieval Europeans once believed them to be mythical hybrid creatures that were born from the union of a leopard and a camel. As such, giraffes are still called "camelopards" in European heraldry.
B9ak TIL beaver teeth are orange because they are fortified with iron which makes them strong and cavity-resistant. Their teeth also continuously grow and self-sharpen.
BgWmd TIL the museum considered to have been the first museum in world history was founded in Ur circa 530 BC. Known as Ennigaldi's museum (named after Ennigaldi, a princess of the Neo-Babylonian Empire), it showcased cataloged and labelled artifacts from the preceding 1,500 years of Mesopotamian history.