› added 1 year ago

167

TIL insect antennae are often called 'feelers' because the insect waves them around. This is a misnomer because they are not only used for touch. The antennae are actually the insect’s 'nose' - they are used for the sense of smell. The paired antennae are made up of a number of individual joints.

Read more amentsoc.org

via reddit.com

nWKRB TIL the character "Mr. Hankey" from South Park was based on how Trey Parker's father toilet-trained him as a child. Trey said he refused to flush the toilet, so his father told him if he did not flush down his stool, which he called "Mr. Hankey," it would come to life and kill him
kVNE TIL that bachelor President James Buchanan had a 10 year relationship with a man. Andrew Jackson noted the relationship by calling them “Miss Nancy” and “Aunt Fancy”.
6LMJ TIL of the Yamato 1, the first working prototype boat to use a Magnetohydrodynamic drive (MHD). Built by Mitsibishi, the ship’s drive electrifies sea water and utilizes magnetic fields to propel itself. The MHD uses no moving parts.
XEMZQ TIL in Outback Australia in areas where nobody used to worry about drink driving, distances were often measured in beers. The distance to a nearby town could be ‘only a sixpack’ but a longer trip to the nearest city could be as far as 'a carton’
agWN TIL Dali has a painting called “The Great Masturbator”