› added 10 years ago

423

TIL that “poecilonym” is a synonym for “synonym”.

Read more wiktionary.org

via reddit.com

N6nQ TIL That fulmars, a type of seabird, vomit a putrid fishy oil on their assailants in self-defense. Not only does it smell horrific, but it’s lethal to predatory birds because it permanently glues their feathers together.
9YrWB TIL that Sunflowers are used to assist in clean up after a nuclear disaster. They are known as hyperaccumulators because they are capable of absorbing toxic heavy metals from the ground and have been planted at both Chernobyl and Fukushima to aid in soil restoration.
8NDG TIL: The Third World was so named during the Cold War to describe countries not aligned with the US or USSR, and had nothing to do with poverty
NXvPb TIL that the monobloc chair has received a polarised social reception, being described by some as "the real evil of globalization", while others have called it one of "the world's most perfectly designed object".
XymX TIL that during a speech to senators intended to convince them that the dust bowl epidemic was a real issue, a massive dust cloud enveloped Washington DC, blackening the windows of the hearing and caking the room with dust. The Soil Conservation Act was passed later that year.