› added 6 years ago

58

TIL that Lithuania was the last pagan nation in Europe, before their official adoption of Roman Catholic in 1387

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

1a6l8 TIL: Ampulex wasps paralyze cockroaches before clipping their antennae and drinking their blood directly from their heads. Afterward, they drag the roach to a burrow where wasp larva feed on the subdued living cockroach.
l7RkA TIL that airplane emergency exit doors are impossible to open mid flight, because due to pressure, it would take 24,000 pounds of force to open the door.
78eWp TIL the earliest known reference to a red carpet is from 458 BC, in an Ancient Greek play. After defeating Troy, the king Agamemnon is welcomed home w/ a carpet of crimson tapestries & silk. He's uncomfortable with it, since to him, only gods walk on such luxury, while mortals should be more humble
krxe TIL that ketchup is an example of a non-Newtonian liquid meaning it’s viscosity is not constant. This explains why it is hard to get out of the bottle on the first try, it thins the more is it messed with.
1V18 TIL: 17 hours of wakefulness causes a level of psychomotor performance equivalent to that of someone over Australia’s drinking and driving limit (0.05%)