› added 10 years ago

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TIL that in 2009 archaeologists discovered elephants, baboons, wildcats and other animals buried in the ancient city of Hierakonpolis, Egypt. It was possibly the world’s first zoo-like environment, dating back to 3500 B.C.

Read more archive.archaeology.org

via reddit.com

6EMNm TIL that Tim McVeigh (the Oklahoma City Bomber), Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber) and Ramzi Yousef (the 1993 World Trade Center Bomber) All Became Friends In Prison
5VYJB TIL that the art of weaving Dhaka muslin, which was worn by Marie Antoinette and Mughal rulers, has been revived. It was lost in the 18th, but following rediscovery of the cotton flower used to make it, Bangladeshi weavers are working to revive it.
M7xxK TIL that the sewage pipes on the USS Gerald Ford, the US Navy's newest carrier, are too narrow to handle the load of the full crew, causing vacuum failure and repeatedly clogged toilets. A specialized acid solution must be used to flush and unclog the system, at $400,00 per flush.
KYG4G TIL 12-yr-old Francesca Lewis was the sole survivor of a plane crash against the side of a Panamanian volcano that killed the 3 other people on board: her friend, her friend's dad & the pilot. She spent 52 hours in the jungle alone, with no food & both her arm & neck fractured, before being rescued.
KrWR TIL that from 2004 to 2011, American and American-trained Iraqi troops repeatedly encountered, and on at least six occasions were wounded by, chemical weapons remaining from years earlier in Saddam Hussein’s rule.