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TIL that the French ensign (French flag flown at sea) is not equally proportioned in its sections (30:33:37) because it was intended to look equal only when moving

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4XAEo TIL Why paper cuts are so painful is b/c at a microscopic level, paper is actually quite rough. A knife makes a straight cut, but paper acts like a saw blade and does more damage to cells and nerve endings. Paper also leaves behind tiny fibres and chemical residues, irritating the wound even more.
GjEg TIL The Koosh Ball, the non-bouncing rubber ball once described as a “cross between a porcupine and a bowl of Jell-O”, was invented because some kids were not good at playing catch. Its invention is chronicled in the book, The Secret History of Balls.
Br6Zx TIL that modern military submarines have a rescue buoy that releases during an emergency, and it remains attached to the submarine by a cable. Once on the surface it can indicate to rescuers the position of the submarine, and may include a telephone for communication with the trapped submariners.
Z8yPY TIL that a holocaust denial group offered $50,000 to anyone who could prove that gas chambers were used to intentionally kill people at Auschwitz. They were forced by a judge to pay that money, and an additional $40,000, to Auschwitz survivor Mel Mermelstein who provided proof of that very fact.
X0BGX TIL world's shortest flight is only 1.5 minutes long and it flies between the Scottish islands of Westray and Papa Westray.