› added 6 years ago

125

TIL of Peter Conover Hains, who is the only Civil War veteran to also serve in World War I

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GAyKJ TIL: That the Beijing Weather Modification Office were enlisted by the Chinese government to ensure that the 2008 Summer Olympics were free of rain, by breaking up clouds headed towards the capital and forcing them to drop rain on outlying areas instead.
nEkb TIL In 1965 at age 90 and with no heirs Jeanne Calment sold her apartment to lawyer André-François Raffray on a contingency contract. Raffray, aged 47 agreed to pay her a monthly sum of 2,500 francs until she died. Raffray ended up paying Calment >$180,000; more than double the apartment’s value.
0w1oy TIL that most mammals take 12 seconds to poop, no matter their size. Larger animals have bigger feces, but also excrete more mucus, accelerating defecation. It is speculated speedy voiding is helpful in avoiding predators.
X0Oo6 TIL that by 1912, a typical electric car cost almost twice as much as a mass-produced gasoline Ford Model T.
KO9BR TIL In 1940, Princess Juliana of The Netherlands was evacuated to Ottawa Canada. When her child Margaret was born, Canada declared her rooms at the Hospital as extraterritorial so the baby would have Dutch nationality. As thanks, Princess Juliana has given Ottawa 10,000 tulip bulbs every year since.