› added 10 years ago

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TIL Scotch tape has an unusual property. When placed in a vacuum chamber, unpeeling a length of tape from the roll will produce an enormous amount of X-ray radiation. The reason why it does this isn’t well understood.

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wP9W TIL that bananas are slightly radioactive because of their potassium content and the small amounts of the isotope potassium-40 found in naturally occurring potassium. The banana equivalent dose (B.E.D) of radiation is sometimes used in nuclear communication to compare radiation levels and exposures.
8NYK TIL velociraptors measured 1.6ft high at the hip, and weighed up to around 33lb
Xe4R TIL there is a snail with iron armor.
lO9B TIL that the Huns had no writing system, and thus all records of them were written by their enemies – who universally describe them as nearly monstrous in appearance, speech, and behavior.
neWPY TIL that the Italian painter Raphael was often accompanied by fifty scholars daily; when Michangelo greeted him one day, he said "You walk surrounded by an entourage like a general," and Raphael responded, "And you, you walk alone like an executioner."