› added 3 years ago

149

TIL Basketballs had to be retrieved (with a dowel) after scoring a point for 15+ years, until they finally started using nets they could fall through

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7LOO TIL Ants use “social immunization” – if one is infected with a fungus, they still lick the ant, spreading it throughout the colony. This practice both kills some of the spores, and builds immune resistance.
GYleg TIL that in 24% of all cases studied where dogs were left alone with their dead owners, the dogs began eating their masters in under 24 hours - even when dog food was available
EvXo TIL a study showed that US public opinion on policies has a “minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact” on the chance a bill will become law. Contrarily, economic elite’s opinions have substantial impact and high correlation with policy change.
VBo4 TIL that the most successful pirate captain was a Chinese prostitute controlling 1,500 vessels and having 80,000 sailors working for her.
x65r5 TIL that symbols to denote irony or sarcasm in print have been around since at least the 1500s