› added 12 years ago

212

TIL That there is an asteroid that is following Earth’s orbit around the sun.

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via reddit.com

6ReJ TiL: That it is considered unlucky to be the third person to light a cigarette. During World War One, soldiers thought that the enemy would see the first light, take aim on the second, and fire on the third, killing the soldier.
OooL4 TIL in 859 a man named Basil arrived in Constantinople penniless. Within 8 years, he had begun an affair with the Byzantine Emperor Michael III, had married the emperor's mistress, and had been crowned co-emperor. In 867 Basil murdered Michael in his bedchambers after first cutting off his hands.
O9yY TIL that the London Underground has its own implementation of the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), where the platforms are actually uphill from the surrounding track, so that the Kinetic Energy is turned into Gravitational Potential Energy, and recovered when the train leaves the station.
6E7Mm TIL that the "you wouldn't steal a car" anti-piracy ad illegally stole music from an artist by redistributing it on CDs around the world
KY8kJ TIL that there is a stereotype about Circassian women being the ideal standard of attractiveness for a woman to reach, the illusion being particularly strong in the 18th century with cosmetic companies going as far as to sell products that they claimed were used by Circassian women.