› added 12 years ago

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TIL American is not actually the most obese country in the world; it actually ranks 18th in obesity prevalence

Read more cia.gov

via reddit.com

nQKd TIL of a monk who had taken an old book written by Archimedes, erased the contents, and wrote over it with prayers. Scientists have determined that that monk erased a previously unknown book by Archimedes, that laid out the foundations of Calculus thousands of years before Newton and Leibniz.
EgklP TIL that in Medieval Rome, the Colisseum was home to hundreds of people living inside its walls, being rented away by a nearby convent that maintained the ruins. It had a network of sewage pipes, horse stables, and people built new walls for their homes.
rRxrx TIL of Keith Moon, drummer for The Who and notorious for his destructive behavior. While headed to the airport with his band, he asked to be taken back to the hotel saying “Oh my God, I forgot something”. After launching the tv out the hotel room window, he came back saying “Phew, I nearly forgot!”
QJlGp TIL when Robert E Lee and the Confederate army surrendered, Union soldiers saluted them and gave them rations (the confederate soldiers were starving). Normally victorious armies would taunt defeated ones, but Ulysses S Grant respected the Confederates too much and ordered that they be treated well.
WXd4 TIL Ireland is the only country in the world with a musical instrument as its symbol