› added 9 months ago

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TIL that there are ships propelled/assisted by large cylindrical rotors on the main deck that harness the Magnus effect to propel themselves forward.

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b6lx0 TIL that the Great Vowel Shift between 1400-1700 was a series of pronunciation changes in English. With that many words froze with spelling and pronunciations not matching. This is why some English vowels are a mess with words like "meat" and "meet" being spelt differently but pronounced the same.
yVvpa TIL that the smell of freshly-cut grass is actually a plant distress call. What we interpret as a fresh smell is a compound plants release when in distress.
xVDog TIL Turkey eggs have a richer taste than chicken eggs and were considered a delicacy by the Navajo. They are rare today only because turkeys do not yield as many eggs and cost more to house and feed.
nebdd TIL That the majority of the Higgins boats which delivered troops to the D-Day invasion beaches were piloted by members of the U.S. Coast Guard.
grwK9 TIL The first video game to feature hand-to-hand fighting was 1976s "Heavyweight Champ" and was a hit in Japanese arcades. However it is now considered a lost video game.