› added 5 years ago

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TIL that Sir George Everest, after whom Mount Everest was named, objected to the honor, as he had nothing to do with the mountain's discovery and he had the impression his name was not easily written or pronounced in Hindi.

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oBP4E TIL that in the 9th century Chinese alchemists in search of the elixir of life created a mixture of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal. Ironically, short of a path to immortality, they had discovered gunpowder.
yQMwJ TIL that in Pakistan, half of all marriages are between first or second cousins.
E1Aap TIL of Elena Muhkina, a Soviet gymnast who broke her neck after being pressured into performing a dangerous move. She was already suffering from an under-healed break in her leg and, as she laid on the floor with her neck broken, her first thought was: “Thank god, I won’t be going to the Olympics.”
yBkp TIL Some caterpillars look like snakes
Z8PBY TIL of a child that woke up from a coma and slowly turned into a vegetable state where he couldn't move. He was fully conscious the full time