› added 11 years ago

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TIL there is a turtle in a Japanese aquarium that has artificial flippers.

Read more telegraph.co.uk

via reddit.com

kOyEm TIL of the 2003 Congo Air Disaster, when upwards of 200 people were sucked out of the plane to their deaths when the cargo door failed.
neOv7 TIL There is no way to visually identify the sex of a beaver, as they have no external genitalia. To determine their sex you must milk their anal glands. If the excreted fluid smells like motor oil, it's a male. If it smells like old cheese, it's a female.
BrRYe TIL Nanocardboard is made out of an aluminum oxide film with a thickness of tens of nanometers. Its sandwich structure, similar to that of corrugated cardboard, makes it more than 10,000x as stiff as a solid plate of the same mass. Shining a light on a piece of nanocardboard allows it to levitate.
9Y8pB TIL That prior to WWII, many unconventional businesses in the United States produced the 1911 pistol. Among the most coveted examples today was made by the Singer Sewing Machine Company.
WkZpX TIL of the Cannonball Run Challenge, an "unsanctioned" speed race from New York City to Los Angeles. Participants regularly average over 100 mph (160 km/h) during the race and the current record time is 26.5 hours, set in April 2020.