› added 6 years ago

180

TIL that it is possible for a uranium deposit to spontaneously undergo nuclear fission, thus acting as a "natural" nuclear reactor capable of generating up to 100 kilowatts.

Read more scientificamerican.com

via reddit.com

JY4DQ TIL about the Finnish "Day-fine" system; most infractions are fined based on what you could spend in a day based on your income. The more severe the infraction the more "day-fines" you have to pay, which can cause millionaires to recieve speeding tickets of 100,000+$
Rmea TIL that during the first battle of the American Civil War, hundreds of civilians from Washington DC brought picnic baskets and came to watch the battle, sure the Union would easily win. The Union lost, and the civilians were caught in the retreat of the Northern army.
JYm4Q TIL Larry Thomas, the actor who played the Soup Nazi on 'Seinfeld', auditioned in a military uniform in character. He was nominated for an Emmy for the role after paying the $100 application fee himself.
VBAWm TIL that the US Coast Guard uses a captured Nazi German sailboat to train its cadets
d8XlZ TIL of the Dunblane massacre in 1996, 16 children and a teacher were shot dead in a UK primary school. The direct response was a ban on all cartridge ammunition handguns.