› added 7 years ago

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TIL of a Malawian teenager who taught himself how to build a windmill out of junk and bring power to his village. He then went on to build a second, larger windmill to power irrigation pumps. He did this all from books he read in the library.

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wLRgP TIL about a mutation in the ADRB1 gene that affects sleep. People who inherited one copy of this mutant gene had a shortened sleep cycle, sometimes requiring only 4.5 hours of sleep per night.
epp65 TIL that the mating season of the wood pigeon depends upon whether it's an odd year or an even year!
KOQeQ TIL the food in Alcatraz Prison was so good that the guards and prison staff ate the same exact meals as the prisoners. This was because the warden believed most trouble in prison is caused by bad food.
P1YjV TIL France charges tire manufacturers a tax of about $1 per tire to pay for tire recycling. The penalty for non payment is $8,000 per tire. This is how you recycle.
wL168 TIL less than three years the Wright Brothers were widely dismissed as 'liars, not flyers' in most mainstream press publications, Wilbur Wright flew in circles around the Statue of Liberty in front of one million New Yorkers then flew continuously for 20 more more miles.