› added 3 years ago

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TIL that pop culture gargoyles have been used to repair and replace decaying carvings on cathedrals, including the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., which added a bust of Darth Vader in the 1980s, the contest-winning entry from Christopher Rader, a 13-year-old kid from Nebraska.

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lb71 TIL that tobacco plants easily absorb radioactive particles, causing radioactive polonium settling down in the lungs directly. This can be avoided, but tobacco industry consider washing “too expensive”
l7pWK TIL The first person to discover viruses was the plant biologist Martinus Beijerinck. Before that, scientists thought that they were a type of small bacteria.
Bvxk TIL Japan’s flagship high-speed line, the Tokaido Shinkansen, has operated for almost half a century without a single derailment or collision, and in 2007, its average departure delay was a mere 18 seconds along its 320-mile route.
J7nm TIL A tortoise, Adwaita, lived to 255. To put it into perspective, he was born before the USA existed and his death was announced on CNN (1750-2006)
eLmn TIL Catholics are forbidden from joining Masonic organizations and those who do are subsequently in a “state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.”