› added 9 years ago

207

TIL that after flights were grounded on 9/11, one plane was allowed to fly. It carried anti-venom from San Diego to Florida to save the life of a snake keeper suffering from a deadly taipan bite. The only other taipan anti-venom was in New York.

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yQ6xV TIL that Vivendi (the media conglomerate that owns Universal Music Group, Dailymotion, Gameloft, etc.) was founded by decree of emperor Napoleon III in 1853 as a water supply company.
gRQ8 TIL that the US military spent over $20 billion a year on air conditioning in Iraq and Afghanistan.
W7w6L TIL: Researchers found in 2021 after an experiment with red haired mice given the MC1R gene that redheads experience pain differently having higher pain tolerances. The MC1R gene produces more pheomelanin which causes freckles, heat sensitivity, red hair, and suppresses pain receptors.
NX66P TIL - the word "Scapegoat" meaning a person who is innocent and is punished for the actions of others, refers to a historical ritual of taking two goats, symbolically placing sins and impurities upon one, then releasing it into the wild, and sacrificing the other.
rR90y TIL Tasmania's literacy rates are far below that of mainland Australia, with at least half of the state's population unable read or write properly. This is despite a higher teacher-to-student ratio than the rest of the country.