› added 11 years ago

201

TIL that during its war against Iraq Iran used school-age children to clear the ground for its regular troops by running over minefields

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Mella TIL that in 1970, a sniper shot a semi-trailer carrying 20 tons of TNT creating a 30' deep and 50' wide crater in the middle of the interstate
mxMVy TIL that sailships aren't really moved by the wind blowing into the sail and pushing it forward. The curved shape of the sail creates a lift force acting forward, same the aerodynamic lift that makes an aircraft fly. The wind direction can be of almost any angle relative to the ship.
obDY TIL that bread did not exist in Japan until 1543, when it was brought to the archipelago by Portuguese missionaries. The new food was initially popular, but disappeared once the country cut ties with the west. It would not be eaten again until the 19th century.
VMgNG TIL Jordan Peele quit acting after he was asked to play the poop emoji in "The Emoji Movie".
G5W1 TIL if Bill Gates dropped a $100 bill on the ground, he’d earn more in interest in the 1 second it took him to pick it up than the actual act of picking it up and putting it in his wallet.