› added 4 months ago

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TIL about the Wärtsilä RT-flex96C, the largest reciprocating engine in the world. It is a diesel engine for container ships, up to 14 cylinders, 107,390 HP, 5.6M lb-ft of torque, uses up to 250 tons of fuel per day.

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via reddit.com

0wokN TIL Hangul is the alphabetic system used for writing the Korean language, but in North Korea it is known as Chosŏn muntcha. Because of the influence of Confucianism and of Chinese culture, Hangul was not used by scholars or Koreans of the upper classes until after 1945
loA5G TIL It's believed that the plane crash that killed John Denver on Oct 12 1997 was due in part to him running out of fuel during flight, being unable to see his fuel gauge, and a design flaw in accessing his reserve fuel tank switch.
d89x7 TIL about Wank Week, a British documentary series dedicated to increasing public awareness and dispelling any taboos surrounding masturbation. A press release even promised that it would reveal "if the only things allowed to be stiff in Britain are upper lips". It was, unsurprisingly, canceled.
LXoZ TIL Originally, in the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf and the girl eat the flesh of the grandmother together.
PYGeE TIL the South Pacific island of Niue was named "Savage Island" by Captain James Cook, because the natives he saw were painted in what looked like blood (it was actually hulahula, a native red fe'i banana). That name was used until the original name "Niue", meaning "behold the coconut", regained use