› added 8 years ago

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TIL Iranians still use the ancient form of air conditioning called the badgir. It is a tower with vents on top and allows cool air to accelerate down into a building. Zion National Park in Utah has a modern example of this, where temps reach over 100 F, the visitors center stays at cool 73 F.

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4XjXo TIL that the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles offers visa-free access, free of charge, to all foreign nationals, from every country in the world (besides Kosovo, which Seychelles doesn't recognise). The visitor's permit is valid for 3 months, and can be extended for up to 12 months
G0YN TIL Donald Duck is so loved in Scandinavian countries that in Sweden they had to make him illegal to vote for in political elections. In 2005 in Norway ¼ of the total population read the Donald Duck Magazine, and “Donaldism” became a thing.
0wrwv TIL a library in Herculaneum was burned and buried in 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. For 250+ years, scholars have been unrolling/attempting to decipher recovered manuscripts from the only antiquarian library ever recovered. The site was never fully excavated; it is assumed more are still buried.
6krW TIL there is a statue of Nikola Tesla in Silicon Valley that radiates free wi-fi
DQG6g TIL Michael Behenna was a US LT who stripped, assaulted, and shot to death an Iraqi prisoner he'd been ordered to return home. Despite being convicted for this premeditated murder, he was pardoned by the president in 2019.