› added 4 days ago

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TIL that RAF pilot Douglas Bader became one of Britains top WWII flying aces despite losing both legs in a prewar crash.He flew Spitfires using prosthetic legs shot down over 20 German aircraft and was so respected by the enemy that Luftwaffe ace Galland personally arranged to drop him a prosthetic.

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Aeag TIL that to lick a wound is an instinctive response in humans and many other animals. It is because saliva contains a substance that promotes blood clotting and the enzyme lysozyme, which attacks the cell walls of bacteria, to guard against infection.
0wVLM TIL that natural gas was discovered serendipitously around 500 BC in China. Bamboo pipelines were used to transport the gas, which was used to boil salt water to extract salt.
v1QAD TIL of Paul Walker an American actor who was famous for his role as an illegal street car racer in the movie franchise Fast and Furious. In 2013 he ended up dying in a fiery car crash after having gone twice the posted speed limit in an area known for drifting cars.
ne5xY TIL last spring around 500 hours of video were uploaded to YouTube each and every minute which works out to about 82 years worth per day
loGBa TIL Annually around 40 million Olive Ridley hatchlings are born in Odisha coast of India and they are monitored around the year from adults laying eggs to birth. Fishing and commercial activities are banned around particular coast. One of the most successful conservation story.