› added 9 years ago

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TIL that Saddam Hussein owned a Quran written in his own blood.

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OGlog TIL of the Cypress of Kashmar, a 1450 y.o. giant Cypress tree said to have been planted by the Prophet Zoroaster in Iran. Despite prophecy warning against it, it was chopped down by the Caliph because he did not want to travel so far to see it. The Caliph was murdered soon after.
5V8Q TIL a female Komodo Dragon can give birth without ever being with a male. The offspring can only be male and can reproduce with the mother to produce male and female offspring.
gD7X TIL that because babies listen to the languages spoken around them while still in the womb, they develop distinctive cries that reflect this when they’re born. Thus - babies cry with an accent, making it possible to distinguish a French baby from a German baby, based purely on the way they cry.
QJNp6 TIL: All of Tom Cruise's wives Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes were aged 33 when their marriages ended
mxnBR TIL that while most air traffic communications around the world use the NATO phonetic alphabet (alpha, bravo, charlie, delta, etc), Atlanta doesn't. Taxiways, Gates, and others including a 'D' are referred to as 'Dixie', so as not to cause confusion with Delta Air Lines. Atlanta is Delta's hub.