› added 7 years ago

266

TIL "Adam" is just the Hebrew word for "man"

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LQEkZ TIL that the highest (Mount Whitney) and lowest (Badwater Basin) points in the contiguous United States are located only 85 miles apart.
NXPa1 TIL not only does water only block 20% of UV rays with 3 feet of depth, but also the water surface reflects UV rays so being around water increases UV exposure
69XDY TIL that there are only 20 ancient lakes (defined as carrying water for more than a million years) in the world, with only 3 in North America (Tahoe, Tule, Pingualuk). Nearly all are tectonic (i.e. rift zones) in origin, however 2 are from meteorite craters (Pingualuk in Canada, Bosumtwi in Ghana)
e0j7D TIL Willie Simmons has served 38 years for a $9 robbery due to Alabama's Habitual Offender rule because he had prior non-violent convictions. His change dot org petition has 2.3 million signatures (including mine!)
8amRX TIL that, when measuring things for cooking, the volume of a tablespoon is different in the US, the UK and Australia.