› added 10 months ago

126

TIL that during WW2, they experimented with running London buses on gas that's produced from burning coal. The gas was produced on a trailer that was towed by the buses.

Read more ianvisits.co.uk

via reddit.com

OoY5a TIL that adolescents who smoke marijuana as early as 14 do worse by 20 on some cognitive tests and drop out of school at a higher rate than non-smokers. But if they hold off until age 17, they're less at risk, and performed equally well as adolescents who did not use cannabis.
NXL48 TIL that Termite queens have the longest known lifespan of any insect. They are known to live thirty to fifty years. They are considered delicacies in many parts of the world, owing to their rarity and rich, fatty flavor. Documentarian Andreas Johnsen sampled one and said it tasted like foie gras.
0dX9A TIL that Princess Anne was briefly involved with a man named Andrew Parker Bowles. He would later marry Camilla Shand. Later, Camilla Parker Bowles would have an affair with and eventually marry Prince Charles, Anne's brother.
aXy9 TIL that Lord Collingwood, Nelson’s second in command at the Battle of Trafalgar, would carry a pocket full of acorns on walks in the countryside, planting them as he went so the ‘Navy would never want for oaks to build the fighting ships upon which the country’s safety depended.’
E1O97 TIL Paul Bettany was told by a movie producer that "his career was over" and he was "done in Hollywood". As he sat down in the sidewalk minutes later, Joss Whedon called him and asked if he wanted to be Vision in "Age of Ultron".