› added 9 years ago

76

TIL that the Queen of England sends out personalized congratulatory cards to fellow countrymen who reach their 100th and 105th birthdays, and every year thereafter. The same is done for couples celebrating their 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries, and every year thereafter.

Read more royal.gov.uk

via reddit.com

e0RQ5 TIL During WWII Hitler ordered the British town of Blackpool be spared from bombing as he intended it to be his personal holiday resort after Germany had won the war
jNwKN TIL that cement is the most widely used material in existence and the most-used resource in the world, second only to water.
9Y8PG TIL of the Radium Girls, young women who worked by painting clock dials using glow in the dark radium paints. Because they sucked the brush to make them pointier, they were exposed to massive amounts of radiation, some suffering debilitating diseases that eventually killed them.
kOmwW TIL about Anna Ladd, an American artist who, while living in France following WW 1, created hand painted copper masks for disfigured soldiers. This allowed soldiers who were despondent to become more comfortable with their appearance.
4XJwX TIL that the Sperm Whale is the loudest animal in the world. They are capable of producing sounds 230 decibels in volume, and can be heard by other Sperm Whales from 60 kilometers away.