› added 12 years ago

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TIL there are “cancer villages” in China, where residents are hundreds of times more susceptible to cancer due to pollution.

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via reddit.com

VMWkZ TIL that Westminster Abbey has a statue of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is part of a series on 20th Century martyrs, and includes Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia, and Oscar Romeo of El Salvador. They were designed to fill ten Gothic niches during a renovation.
9YwAr It happens to everyone. You might be walking back from grabbing a drink at your favourite neighbourhood watering hole, strolling through a dense forest, or even merely getting up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom when you hear that squishy sound. An ant, a cockroach, a beetle, a centipede, or whatever it used to be, is stuck to the bottom of your foot. Did the bug feel pain when it exploded? Did it feel fear? Did it even have time to be scared? If it had time, would it have done something or said something to any of its bug buddies?
wLx0Y TIL that while the Romans used concrete extensively in building their structures, the recipe was lost after the Fall of the Roman Empire, partially contributing to the Dark Ages. It wasn't reinvented until the late 19th century.
bDJa TIL that the Norway’s first aircraft hijacking was resolved after the hijacker surrendered his weapon in exchange for more beer.
ANXJB TIL that there was an urban legend about a Japan baseball team that had 18-year losing streak because in the 80's they threw the statue of Colonel Sanders into the river.