› added 11 years ago

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TIL that during the Vietnam War, medics began using super glue to seal battle wounds in troops headed for surgery. It was apparently so effective at sutchering the wounds, that it has been credited with saving numerous lives.

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wLkVo TIL that a Spanish government worker was absent from work for six years but continued receiving a salary of $41,500 annually and his bosses only found out when he was eligible for a long service award. He retired in the end.
78EYL TIL that sea slugs decapitate themselves in order to regrow their bodies and to become more powerful in the oceans.
VJ04 TIL new research indicates the asteroid that killed the Dinosaurs did so, not primarily due to dust blocking out the sun, but by ejecting ~500 cubic miles of tiny glass spherules at near escape velocity. Upon falling to earth they incinerated nearly all surface life in a matter of minutes.
X00EX TIL Roger Bacon who lived from around 1214 to 1292. In his Epistola de Secretis Operibus, he wrote: “Cars can be made so that without animals they will move with unbelievable rapidity,” and “flying machines can be constructed by which artificial wings are made to beat the air like a flying bird.”
9YPQr TIL James Cameron wanted to direct ‘Terminator’ so badly, that he sold the rights to the producer willing to entertain his wish for $1. While waiting for Arnold Schwarzenegger to become available for the role, Cameron also busied himself by writing ‘Aliens’ and ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II.’