› added 5 years ago

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TIL: Thanks to a gruesome mistake, a French Canadian Voyageur was shot in the stomach, but later healed and recovered from the wound, scientists were better able to understand the digestive tract thanks to how his wound healed, which allowed probing of his stomach actively digesting.

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xVdD0 TIL that in 1968 the original London bridge was purchased by an American entrepreneur who shipped it to Lake Havasu City, Arizona where it now resides as a tourist destination (and functional Bridge)
R5Zya TIL in Finland some children read to dogs and cows because they actually like listening and are extremely attentive.
WkglB TIL before dogfighting was a thing, enemy pilots would simply exchange waves or shake their fists at one another. At the beginning of WWI, recon pilots would often resort to throwing bricks, grenades, and even rope in hopes that it would get entangled in the enemy's propellor.
dD7j7 TIL that the native language of the volcanic island Manam Motu has no words for cardinal directions (North, East, West, South). Instead, it uses polar coördinates—with words meaning “towards the volcano”, ”towards the sea”, “clockwise around the volcano”, and “counterclockwise around the volcano”.
7rQxx TIL that in 1950, Brazil were so sure they would win the World Cup final against Uruguay that the local media hailed them as "future champions" before the match and 22 gold medals had already been made with the names of Brazilian players. They lost 2-1.