› added 9 years ago

102

TIL that Lebanon currently has no President, and the office has been vacant since 2014

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OvBY TIL Lightning serves an important role in the nitrogen cycle by oxidizing diatomic nitrogen in the air into nitrates which are deposited by rain and can fertilize the growth of plants and other organisms.
gMJVA TIL that after Reagan saw the nuclear war film THE DAY AFTER (1983) he wrote in his diary, "It’s very effective & left me greatly depressed. [We have] to do all we can to have a deterrent & to see there is never a nuclear war." He later said it directly inspired the INF Treaty with the USSR.
wLvp6 TIL The design of carburetors in British WWII fighter aircraft had a fault that would shut down the aircraft's engine during a negative-G force maneuver. In 1941 a female engineer solved the problem with a simple device, which British pilots then named after her. It was named Miss Shilling's orifice
woKvo TIL phenylephrine is 'useless' as a decongestant
v18gj TIL of the story of Herostratus, who deliberately caused a fire that destroyed the temple of Artemis at Ephesus. He explained that he had wanted to gain immortal fame by his act. However, he was put to death and a damnatio memoriae passed. His name now refers to those who do crimes to become famous.