› added 7 months ago

321

TIL that nuts and bolts weren't always standardised, but once were all individual.

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via reddit.com

ep6xk TIL diabolical ironclad beetle - this beetle has one of the strongest exoskeletons of any insect, allowing it to withstand forces up to 39,000 times its body weight!
Gle4 TIL glacial retreats in southern Alaska are leading to an increase in the frequency of earthquakes. The Bering glacier, in particular, is so massive that it’s weight stabilizes the subduction of the Pacific plate underneath the North American plate.
BgrgL TIL that Boeing removed some of the 787 lightning protection measures to save costs.
M7en8 TIL that on the atoll of Pinglelap, 10% of the population is affected by total colorblindness, with another 30% being unaffected carriers of the gene. This is due to a population bottleneck caused by a typhoon in 1775 that left 20 survivors on the atoll. One carried the colorblindness gene.
m1aeY TIL that when the United States entered WWII, men 21-36 were eligible to be drafted, but 50% of those conscripted were rejected for health or illiteracy reasons. To expand the available pool of draftees, Congress lowered the minimum age to 18, where it still stands today