› added 11 years ago

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TIL the most common Vietnamese family name, “Nguyen”, is pronounced “Win” in English.

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9Y5LG TIL that American and Russian astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) have different water supplies. Its because the Americans drink recycled urine while the Russians refuse to do so. The NASA astronauts even collect the Russians urine to increase their own supply...
XEJlr TIL during the middle Ages saffron was so expensive some traders would try to increase their profits by bulking up the herb with yellow marigold petals. When authorities in Nuremberg, where the herb was mainly traded, found out about these tainted parcels of saffron, the traders were burned alive.
R7Xjw TIL Sudden Adult Death Syndrome accounts for +/-500 deaths per year, deaths with no cause found at autopsy.
GYNa5 TIL guns can be fired in space. Gunpowder contains its own oxidizer, which allows guns to work even in the vacuum of space.
ajW9 TIL that 80% of the close door buttons on elevators aren’t even hooked up.