› added 12 years ago

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TIL in 2011 researchers let 100 paper planes go 23 miles above Germany. Some have since been found in Canada, USA, Australia and South Africa.

Read more projectspaceplanes.com

via reddit.com

mx8DP TIL that Joseph Christopher (.22-Calibre Killer) attempted to admit himself in a psychiatric center weeks before his killing spree but was deferred to counseling instead.
W70n4 TIL: That cowboys and native Americans used to (and some still do) hunt raccoons in order to extract their penis bones in order to use them for toothpicks or as pipes for smoking
Wkpj8 TIL in 2009, a molecular biologist discovered a gene mutation that prevents fruitflies from getting drunk. She dubbed it "Happyhour". The same scientist had earlier identified mutations causing super-sensitivity and increased tolerance to alcohol, calling them "Cheapdate" & "Hangover", respectively.
Wwvd TIL that the population of Ireland still hasn’t returned to where it was before the Potato Famine
EgR1W TIL about the revenge of the 47 rōnin, an event in Japan in which a band of rōnin (lordless samurai) avenged the death of their former master, who was ordered to commit seppuku by a powerful official. After waiting for a year, they killed the official, surrendered themselves and committed seppuku.