› added 5 years ago

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TIL there's a demographer and sociologist named Elizabeth Wrigley-Field.

Read more ssc.wisc.edu

via reddit.com

b9mbN TIL about Robert Cocking who tried to invent an improved parachute design. He was so convinced of his invention that he tested it himself, hanging below a balloon and releasing the parachute in the height of 5,000 ft. He was the first person who died in a parachute accident.
LQBxd TIL the way horses are transported to the Olympics is by flying in a Boeing 727 cargo plane refitted to be an airborne stable. That is plane is lovingly referred to as "Air Horse One"
5d08 TIL Ants can survive in a microwave: they find the coolest spot inside and keep still
yVQ1p TIL during the monsoon season, the Mekong River swells so much it forces the Tonle Sap River to flow backwards, away from the sea, filling Tonle Sap Lake, temporarily making it the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia. It’s the only river in the world that changes direction seasonally.
BrAdr TIL the Italy surrounded country of San Marino is the oldest constitutional republic, they have two presidents serving six month terms, there are about 1000 hotel rooms in entire country, their national sport is crossbow, they’ve never had a king since inception of 301 and never been taken over