› added 12 years ago

167

TIL birds are the reason we don’t have giant spiders and insects. Thanks birds.

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vPYwR TIL that cappuccino got its name from Italian friars' robes. The color of the espresso mixed with frothed milk was similar to their color.
XExmX TIL that one of the principle decoders of the Mayan written language, Yuri Knorozov, was forbidden from visiting South America during his research and didn't go until 38 years later. He also bears a truly uncanny resemblance to a supervillain.
l7YMB TIL During Prohibition in the United States, the U.S. government literally poisoned alcohol. When people continued to consume alcohol despite its banning, law officials got frustrated and decided to try a different kind of deterrent—death
gMQn4 TIL it’s impossible to speak coherently if you hear your voice as feedback on a phone call, Zoom, etc. Delayed Auditory Feedback disrupts normal speech causing repetition of syllables, mispronunciations, and omissions. These effects are often referred to as “artificial stuttering”.
ADadB TIL of Wataru Misaka, a Japanese-American drafted into the New York Knicks in 1947. He was the first non-Caucasian professional basketball player, and the first African-American player didn’t play in the NBA until three years later.