› added 3 years ago

80

TIL Contrary to the popular joke, France is actually the most successful military power in history.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

PYkXZ TIL during the Vietnam War, the U.S. spent roughly $3 million each year on weather modification campaigns designed to draw out the monsoon season and even one campaign involved an attempt to flood the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the main route that enemy fighters were using to deliver their supplies.
X01kE TIL the Great Horned Owl can be as big as 2' tall with a 4'6" wingspan and still weigh only 5 pounds. Their talons have the crush strength of a German Shepherd's bite, about 300 lbs/sq inch, so they can break the spines of their prey.
nWX7W TIL about Saint Fiacre of Breuil, the Patron Saint of Gardeners, whose reputed aversion to women is believed to be the reason that he is the Patron Saint of STIs. He is also the Patron Saint of Hemorrhoids, Florists, Taxi Cab Drivers & Ploughboys.
vPmpB TIL that the Proust Phenomenon describes how odors can trigger vivid and emotional memories more effectively than other sensory cues.
xEM7 TIL in Korea, in lieu of monthly rent, a “Jeonse” agreement is where the renter pays a percentage of the market value of a property up front, the landlord invests it, and at the end of the lease, the renter is returned 100% of their investment. The landlord earns interest on investments this way.