› added 10 years ago

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TIL that when medieval Islamic scholar al-Biruni was trying to determine the exact position of qibla (the Muslim direction for prayer), he realized that a vast span of Earth’s land was unaccounted for in the modern maps of the time. This turned out to be the American continent.

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ggYX TIL in a world first, Dubai has successfully relocated a coral reef in an attempt to save it from infrastructure development. The project cost more than $9.8m and has been deemed a success since the coral reef grew 20% in size
E1vAV TIL that cats can actually be allergic to humans. Humans shed hair and skin (dander), which may cause an allergic reaction in cats. In some cases, it causes asthma-like symptoms and can also cause miliary dermatitis (i.e. cat dermatitis).
D1AeY TIL That Americans are annoyed so much by "Start/Stop" car technology that most Americans will disable the system upon engine start, and that if a car comes with the technology the EPA automatically assumes that 50% of buyers will disable the system when calculating fuel mileage.
RrLQ TIL that People Have More Empathy for Battered Dogs than Human Adult, But Not Child, Victims
YPor TIL There was a massive residential scheme that failed in Florida leaving a massive system of canals and barren roads that you can easily see in Google Maps that is now called Picayune Strand State Forest.