› added 6 months ago

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Today I learned the first selfie ever taken was in 1839!

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

6EJ4m TIL that the "short" in shortcrust pastry refers to how the fats in the dough stop the flour from forming long gluten proteins in any direction; puff pastry has glutens in layers between layers of fat, like lasagne sheets. Overwork it, and glutens are formed in all directions, making it tough!
4kVjR TIL of C341 (aka Félicette) A Stray Parisian Cat Who Became The First Cat In Space in 1963, Survived Her Voyage, But Was Killed Two Months After Returning to Earth So Scientists Could Study Her Brain. A Monument Was Crowd Funded and Completed in 2020.
vDpB TIL a poisonous lagoon at a quarry was dyed black for safety. The previous azure water was so inviting the signs did not keep swimmers out.
YjJZ TIL There’s a book that contains a million random numbers and little else. Published in 1955, it was an important work in the field of statistics and randomization.
a8kv9 TIL: The government of the European microstate San Marino made United States President Abraham Lincoln an honorary citizen. He wrote in reply, saying that the republic proved that "government founded on republican principles is capable of being so administered as to be secure and enduring"