› added 5 years ago

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TIL that a cougar has over 80 different names including: mountain lion, panther and puma!

Read more animals.howstuffworks.com

via reddit.com

PYaNV TIL about Slugging, a practice where commuters driving into big cities will pick up fellow random commuters in order to take advantage of faster carpool lanes. No money is exchanged, and as many as 9,000 people in some US cities will Slug in a given day.
Zpx8D TIL famous psychologist B.F.Skinner trained street pigeons to guide rockets by training them to recognize the pattern of a target, and to peck when they saw the target. As the pigeons pecked, cables harnessed to each one’s head would mechanically steer the missile until it finally reached its mark.
nQxr TIL that phenylephrine, a common substitute for pseudophedrine in over-the-counter cold and allergy medications, has been proven to be no more effective than placebo when taken orally at the recommended dose.
0d7Xj TIL In 2012 San Diego's annual Fourth of July fireworks show had a computer glitch, where fireworks programmed for 17 minutes all went off at once (here is one video, there are lots of others; some spectators mad, others ecstatic)
aRRL TIL of the Golem Effect, the principle that we essentially meet the negative expectations held by those superior to us such as management, teachers, parents etc.