› added 10 years ago

66

TIL, Ming the clam lived to be 507 years old.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

nWpkb TIL that a zeptosecond is a trillionth of a billionth of a second. It is the smallest unit of time ever measured.
epnrn TIL about the Antikythera Mechanism which is widely considered to be the first analogue computer created by the ancient Greeks. The mechanism had about 30 precision gears which makes it the earliest discover of gears in Europe, and could track celestial body movements, eclipses, and sporting events.
neDNo TIL Alice Coachmen was the first black woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1948 Summer Olympic Games in the high jump competition. She was also the first African-American woman selected to the US Olympic Team.
4aPa TIL a Chinese gymnastics champion was abandoned after breaking his Achilles tendon and announcing his intentions to go to school, forcing him to become a homeless beggar. He was arrested for stealing on multiple occasions, rejected by several aid organizations and struggled as a street performer.
e51E TIL The Blackbird SR-71 had a fuel system that was designed to leak before takeoff, and flew so fast it sealed itself during flight from the heat.