› added 3 years ago

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TIL that modern examination of classic Damascus steel revealed the presence of carbon nanotubes, the likely source of the material’s mythical reputation for strength.

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4oMJ TIL Google has found GPA’s and test scores to be “worthless as a criteria for hiring”; they have teams where 14% of their employees haven’t gone to college
oBAxr TIL John Romero's (co-creator of Wolfenstein/Doom/Quake) great-grandmother was a crime boss in the 1920's. Starting in Sonora, Mexico, she ran brothels and had an entire empire, controlling it well past the age of 60 (but didn't like to discuss age) and expanded it as far as Tucson, Arizona,
dgvZ TIL that Australia banned a TV episode for the kid’s show Peppa Pig because it said “spiders are not to be feared” which is generally true in the world except for Australia, home to many dangerous spiders
6YKm TIL that the Hubble Space Telescope is fully open for public use, regardless of nationality or academic background
5Y5PB TIL that Porphyria, a collection of diseases where symptoms include severe sun sensitivity, prominent canine teeth and peculiar behaviour, is thought to be the basis of the vampire legend