› added 1 week ago

3

TIL that when Alexander met Celtic envoys, but really Celtic people for the first time, he asked them in their meeting what they feared most, they replied "only that the sky might fall on our heads."

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via reddit.com

k8GW TIL China didn’t have fortune cookies until introduced 1993 and sold as “genuine American fortune cookies”
0wAkN TIL that the cleat on a tape measure is loose for a reason. Outside measurement: cleat is extended and the measurement is from the inside of the cleat. Inside measurement: cleat is collapsed and measurement taken from outside of the cleat. Travel of the cleat = thickness of the cleat.
BrEjD TIL that the highest absolute altitude ever achieved by a helicopter (12,440 m) resulted in the engines experiencing a flameout at peak altitude. The pilot then set the record for the longest autorotation used for the unpowered landing of a helicopter.
8vo8 TIL that in 1995 Kia was showing a range extended gas/electric (the Kev-4 concept car) with regenerative braking and solar powered air conditioner. It would drive on electricity alone for 117 miles. Its 880cc gas engine could stretch that farther. This was 15 years before the Chevy Volt.
4Llb TIL Morocco was the first nation to recognize American independence from the British Empire. In honor of this fact, Thomas Jefferson held a Ramadan celebration at the White House when he became President.