› added 12 years ago

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TIL that plastic bags are banned in certain African countries because people use them as a toilet, then sling them through the air as far away as they can.

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nejvd TIL that more people died on the last day of WWI than on D-Day, despite commanders knowing that the war was essentially over.
LAWp TIL New York’s area code is 212 because it was the fastest number to dial on a rotary phone
9wvg6 TIL the saung, a type of arched harp that’s the national musical instrument of Myanmar, is ancient: it’s believed to have been introduced to the country from India as early as 500 CE.
0wxmv TIL in the 1920s in Los Angeles, most hotels prohibited women from checking in without a male chaperone, making it unsafe for females traveling to LA solo. Hotel Figueroa was opened in 1926 funded by women making it the largest hotel for women professionals to gather in a safe environment.
KWwR TIL that giant anteaters do not produce any stomach acid. Instead, the combined sting venom (formic acid) found in all of the ants it eats is used to digest the prey once it is ground up and swallowed - the ants are digested in their own venom.