› added 6 years ago

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TIL the town of Rjukan, Norway receives no natural sunlight from September to March due to the steep mountains that surround it. They've installed 3 large mirrors to reflect light into the town's square. The mirrors track the sun's path and move every 10 secs to create a 600m squared pool of light.

d8GO9 TIL that an "acardiac baby" is a severely malformed parasitic twin stealing circulation from the other twin, which can cause extreme stress on the normal fetus resulting in mortality for both twins
Oo51L TIL: Daily shaving was not a widespread practice in the 19th century. It took off among American men with World War I. Soldiers were required to shave daily so their gas masks would fit. They used the straight razor, the precursor to the double-edged razor and today's disposable razors.
R7KAw TIL the famous "I drink your milkshake" line from "There Will Be Blood" was based on actual dialogue spoken by Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall during a 1924 congressional hearing about the Teapot Dome scandal
ywve TIL the highest mountain in Australia is named after the Polish national hero, Tadeusz Kościuszko, who was also a military leader in the American Revolutionary War, and personal friend of Thomas Jefferson.
bbA7 TIL that the most senior officer to survive the sinking of Titanic, Charles Lightoller, went onto serve in World War I where he rammed a German U-boat as commander of HMS Garry, and helped evacuate British soldiers from Dunkirk in World War II