› added 4 months ago

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TIL that by planting a stick and watching its shadow throughout the day, people could find true north and east–west, because the shadow follows a curved path and reaches its shortest length at midday, when it points true north in the Northern Hemisphere.

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via reddit.com

wLeGP TIL The Salem witch trials lasted less than 2 years, February 1692 and May 1693, and occurred 55 years after Harvard was founded in 1636. Cotton Mather was denied the presidency of Harvard for his involvement in the witch trials.
xKR5 TIL a guy diagnosed with cancer was told he had 6 months to live. He went back to the doctors 10 years later to tell them that he’s still alive only to find out that the doctors who diagnosed him were all dead. He died 102 years old.
P10pg TIL: Spilling as little as ONE gallon of diesel fuel/home heating oil or motor oil can contaminate up-to one MILLION gallons of formerly-clean drinking water!
j6Gaj TIL that the largest plant in the world is a sprawling sea grass (Posidonia australis) found in Shark Bay off the coast of Australia. It stretches for more than 112 miles.
eJBJ TIL Charles Dance’s father was 72 years old when Charles was born.