› added 10 years ago

272

TIL Hamburg, Germany has plans to divert most cars away from its main thoroughfares and connect pedestrian and cycle lanes in what is expected to become a large green network. The plan plan envisions “eliminating the need for automobiles” within two decades.

JYjY4 TIL when the Bulgarian monarch died at 49 during WW2, his 6-year-old son Simeon became the leader. Shortly after, 97% of Bulgaria voted to end the monarchy in favor of a democracy. In 2005, 64-year-old Simeon ran for Prime Minister of Bulgaria and won, making him the country's leader again.
kOp51 TIL that last year, researchers from the University of British Columbia figured out how to convert blood type A into the universal Type O, which all patients can receive in a transfusion, regardless of their own blood type. This could broaden the supply of blood and ease shortages.
8aGJ8 TIL Italian artist Piero Manzoni filled 90 tin cans with feces, called it 'Artist's shit' and sold them for up to €124,000 a tin. In August 2016, at an art auction in Milan, one of the tins sold for a new world record of €275,000, including auction fees.
VBolD TIL about the Essex, an American whaling ship that was sunk by a sperm whale in 1820. The survivors made for land off the South American coast. Seven crew members were cannibalized before eight survivors were rescued. The tragedy gained international attention, inspiring the novel, Moby Dick.
l7lRV TIL that David Bowie wrote 'Life on Mars' because he was pissed at Frank Sinatra and the success of 'My Way'