› added 2 years ago

203

TIL The U.S. Survey Foot was officially retired January 1, 2023

Read more nist.gov

via reddit.com

j6N7E TIL of Bullshit Jobs - it's been estimated that over half of societal work is pointless.
7rQmP TIL that wombats can run at a speed of 40km/h, 3km/h faster than Usain Bolt's average running speed during his world record. They also make cubic dung, which is thought to be so they can mark their territory without the dung rolling away
OAPX TIL the Vatican added 7,000 LEDs to illuminate Michelangelo’s 6,000-square-foot Sistine Chapel ceiling painting. Thanks to this intervention, the work is now more visible to visitors than it has ever been in its 500-year history, including the years in which it was lit by daylight.
pYxjO TIL at the 2005 London Marathon, Paula Radcliffe, in desperate need of a toilet break during the race, stopped by the roadside in full view of the crowd and live TV cameras to defecate. She still won with a time of 2:17:42, a world's best time for a women's only race by over a minute at the time.
R7y88 TIL that both India and Pakistan had british officers commanding their respective armies in the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947