› added 10 years ago

200

TIL Shakespeare invented the names Miranda, Jessica, and Olivia.

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via reddit.com

Lk7EZ TIL that the country with the tallest average height is Bosnia and Herzegovina (183.9 cm/6' 0" for men, 171.8 cm/5' 7" for women), and the countries with the shortest average height are Indonesia for men (158.0 cm/5' 2") and Bolivia for women (142.2 cm/4' 8")
BrabW TIL that Russians considered the winter when Napoleon invaded Russia to be "a relatively mild winter"
KVk6 TIL that to unintentionally mimic the accent of someone they are talking to, if they have a different accent, is a normal human trait. Psychologists believe it comes from an inbuilt urge to empathise and affiliate with the person you are talking to.
R5nZ6 TIL about the Barnum Effect, a common psychological phenomenon whereby individuals give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically to them, yet are general enough to apply to a wide range of people, such as astrology and personality tests.
Bn4d TIL that a particular species of beetle infiltrates ant colonies by mimicking the sounds that the queen makes, and then moves around the colony at will, preying on ants, and is “treated like royalty”, according to a study.