› added 3 years ago

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TIL that the origins of the "universal S" are unknown. Even a youtuber who spent 5 years researching it couldn't come to a conclusion. The symbol appeared in some places as far as a century ago, and is belived to have spread worldwide before the internet, but it is unclear how or why.

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via reddit.com

WkYAd TIL that bats are not actually blind, but only use echolocation at night because it’s too dark to see. In fact, some bigger bats can see three times better than humans.
8LoK TIL that a French man, Max Herve-George, has an insurance policy that lets him trade stocks based on last week’s prices. It’s been called the stupidest contract ever signed, and may end up with him owning the insurance company.
KOyQ6 TIL about a British man who bought a ceramic pot at a junk sale for less than £4 and used it as a toothbrush holder until learning it was actually made in the Indus Valley of present-day Afghanistan about 4,000 years ago. It's thought the pot was originally brought to the UK by British tourists.
R78k1 Today I learned that the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa was so loud it ruptured eardrums of people 40 miles away, travelled around the world four times, and was clearly heard 3,000 miles away.
4x9w TIL a Black Robin named Old Blue has become the mother of her entire species when she was the last fertile female in a group of 5 Robins. There are now 250 Black Robins on the Chatham Islands, and have raised their status from Critically Endangered to Endangered.