› added 1 week ago

TIL that Mongolian race horses are ridden by kids aged 7 to 13, traditionally without saddles and child riders do not wear heavy clothing to be as light as possible. New rules require the jokey must wear protective gear, use racing saddles for increased safety, and be protected by accident insurance

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via reddit.com

j6pPj TIL the SCRAM button on nuclear reactors is an acronym for Single Control Rod Axe Man, which initially was just a guy who'd cut a rope to drop in the boron control rods in an emergency
PYP0G TIL that Thailand offered to send elephants to the USA during the civil war. Lincoln declined on the basis that steam engines would make the elephants more trouble than they were worth, but was extremely grateful and deferential in his reply nonetheless.
gMnw8 TIL that De Beers, the world's biggest diamonds company, started selling synthetic diamonds for the first time in its 130-year history. The manufacturing process has become so perfect that it has become difficult to tell the difference between synthetic and natural diamonds.
999Q TIL that the characteristic steam plumes that rise from the streets of NYC are caused by a massive pipe network that carries steam (at 175°C) used for energy and cleaning solutions. It’s the biggest of its kind in the world and it’s been around since 1882.
kOple TIL about a 13-month-old Canadian baby that got out of her house in the middle of the night and froze solid. She thawed and ended up surviving.