› added 12 years ago

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TIL the original definition of “googolplex,” as defined by mathematician Edward Kasner’s 9-year-old nephew, was: “one, followed by writing zeroes until you get tired.”

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P6VG TIL Timothy the tortoise served as a mascot on HMS Queen during the bombardment of Sevastopol in 1854. She was, until her death in 2004, the last surviving witness to the Crimean War.
VrkD TIL In 1996 the infamous serial killer ‘The Yorkshire Ripper’ was almost strangled to death in custody, before being saved by serial killer Kenneth Erskine aka 'The Stockwell Strangler’.
eBwD TIL If you zoom in on the White House on Google Maps, it will allow you to go inside and “walk” around certain areas.
KYr1R TIL The liking gap—the idea that individuals you meet like you more than you realize. Researchers discovered that "people systematically underestimated how much their conversation partners liked them and enjoyed their company."
RXy6 TIL that China’s army holds annual training exercises against a ‘Blue Force’ equipped to resemble a NATO adversary like the United States. The Blue Force nearly always wins; in 2014, only one visiting brigade was able to defeat it at the cost of 50% casualties.