› added 8 years ago

441

TIL that the oldest living tree is 4,765 years old and lives in a secret location.

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via reddit.com

dDYYE TIL that when 13-year-old Ryan White got AIDS from a blood donor in 1984, he was banned from returning to school by a petition signed by 117 parents. An auction was held to keep him out, a newspaper supporting him got death threats, and his family left town when a gun was fired through their window.
vPE58 TIL about the Tyndall effect, which is light scattering by particles in a colloid such as a very fine suspension.
9wYb6 TIL Smoke following people around a fire is due to hot air rising from the fire and drawing cold air towards it. A person would block cold air from flowing in that particular location, causing the hot air, along with the smoke, to seemingly follow the person.
N5O8 TIL the same PR firms that tried to argue that tobacco use did not link to lung cancer received money in 2009 simply to increase the debate over the long term health consequences of natural gas fracking.
M7rOW TIL about the 1955 Le Mans disaster. It was the most catastrophic crash in motorsport history. Large pieces of debris flew into the crowd, killing 83 spectators and French driver Pierre Levegh, and injuring nearly 180 more