› added 10 years ago

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TIL that the 5th oldest tree on the planet was burned down by a woman smoking meth.

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wLPD8 TIL that Pope John Paul II nominated Saint Isidore of Seville, a Bishop and Scholar, as the patron saint of the internet because he tried to record everything that was known in his 20 book opus Etymologies/Origins.
ne81B TIL that the Tetris theme song came from a russian folk song by the name of Коробе́йники
ZpleB TIL that possum’s “playing dead” behavior is not a conscious behavior. Instead it is an instinctive reflex and they enter a catatonic-like state though they can remain mentally aware of the situation.
l0wN TIL Scottish mountains over 3000 feet are called “Munros”. Other hills/mountains in the UK and Ireland over 150 metres are called “Marilyns”. The pun is intentional.
R7kQa TIL that the Babylonians actually discovered Trigonometry about 1,500 years before the Greeks. Not only were their tables more accurate because of their base-60 numerical system (which made thirds more accurate), but their approach using ratios is something relatively novel to us, today.