› added 10 months ago

31

TIL that in 1778, the United States flag was formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte rendered a nine-gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

GAlx1 TIL the notion that lactic acid is the reason we experience muscle soreness after a workout has been debunked in the 1980s. Research suggests the soreness is a result of a cascade of physiological effects in response to microscopic trauma sustained during intense exercise.
Rm8j TIL: In Alaska Moose roadkill are considered state property. When one is struck by a vehicle, the driver must call a state trooper to report the kill.The troopers will turn the carcass over to charity.
Kmaw TIL Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation in Latin. The Vatican reporter who broke the story was the only one in the room who could actually understand the announcement.
x6Vrk TIL of the "royal touch", a medieval practice wherein monarchs touched one of their subjects suffering from an illness, thereby supposedly curing them of said illness
9wkLr TIL one of the holiest sites in Shinto, the Ise Grand Shrine in Japan is rebuilt completely using traditional materials and methods every 20 years, costing ~500 million USD every time. This includes everything inside the complex except the Sacred Mirror. The next scheduled rebuilding is in 2033.