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TIL that concerns are increasing that Campi Flegrei - a “supervolcano” very close to the Italian city of Naples - could erupt again for the first time since 1538. Previous eruptions have triggered volcanic winters globally, causing widespread crop failures and resulting in famines.

Read more news.nationalgeographic.com

via ift.tt

E1xJ0 TIL that the "worst disaster" in British Military History was the Battle of Singapore, when the British had their sea guns the wrong way, expecting Japan to invade by sea as the jungles of Malaya were impenetrable. Instead they landed and invaded on bicycle, catching everyone off guard.
GYad1 TIL In 1994, the first polyurethane condoms were produced, designed for people with latex allergies.
9wvVD TIL "Wacky WallWalkers" were a fad in the early 1980s. The toys were molded out of a sticky elastomer and shaped similar to a spider. When one was thrown against a wall, it would then "walk" its way down. Over 240 million were sold. They were also free in specially marked boxes of cereals.
EVm0 TIL that after arriving in Los Angeles at 19, a broke Charlize Theron tried to cash a check from her mother to pay for rent, but the teller refused. She got into a shouting match with him, drawing the attention of a talent agent behind her, who introduced her to casting agents and an acting school.
p8e64 TIL when Robert Ballard (professor of oceanography) announced a mission to find the Titanic, it was a cover story for a classified mission to search for lost nuclear submarines. They finished before they were due back, so the team spent the extra time looking for the Titanic and actually found it.