› added 10 years ago

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TIL that anyone with a BMI of 40 or more is not allowed to adopt a child from China

Read more travel.state.gov

via reddit.com

wLXXo TIL when the US Airspace was closed during the 9/11 attacks, passenger planes were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland. The community hosted 7,000 people until it was safe for them to re-enter America. The town has been awarded a piece of steel from the buildings to commemorate their efforts.
a94Z TIL the precedent set in the Supreme Court case of Wickard v Filburn (which allows the government to stabilize the market by destroying excess food) was used in Gonzales v. Raich to give the federal government the power to criminalize medicinal marijuana despite state laws which may make it legal
awmON TIL that Ulithi, an isolated Pacific atoll used by the US Navy as a forward base during WWII, was for seven months the largest and most active anchorage in the world. At its height in the run-up to the invasion of Okinawa, more than 700 ships were anchored in its lagoon.
R5xg8 TIL on James Cameron's 3rd dive to the Titanic, he & his pilot had "a near-death experience". They encountered a sandstorm on the ocean floor & became temporarily stuck there with low power supply & few batteries. It took them 3 attempts from the bottom to rise above 25 meters & surface 5 hrs later.
y0E8 TIL when Mt. St. Helens erupted, the blast was heard in British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, and California. However, the blast was not heard in Portland, Oregon only 50 miles away.