› added 10 months ago

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TIL that the idea that medieval castles had clockwise spiral staircases to make it hard for attackers is mostly unfounded. Not only did about 30% of medieval castles have counter-clockwise stairs, the earliest known reference for this claim comes from a book written in 1903, with no primary sources

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94NM TIL at the depths of the Great Salt Lake is a super-dense layer of water called the “Deep Brine.” Divers describe it as having the consistency of runny Jello
9YG8m TIL I learned that catfish can breathe partly through their butts -- and maybe we can too. So can loaches (a type of freshwater fish) and orb-weaving spiders, and apparently also mice, rats, and pigs. (Bonus: So can some turtles.)
e07xk TIL in Victorian England they used to take group photos with their dead ones and, given the long exposure time, the dead were often seen more sharply than the slightly-blurred living, because of their lack of movement
K5QB TIL Every British armoured fighting vehicle, up to and including tanks, provides onboard tea making facilities.
W7VvB TIL Anti-climb paint, a class of non-drying oil paint, was developed in the 1960s. It can take over 3 years to dry, It is used to prevent trespassing and mark trespassers as it is very difficult to remove.