› added 1 year ago

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TIL of the estimated 900 deaths in the Grand Canyon, the leading cause of death is from airplane and helicopter crashes. 379 air crash deaths altogether. Falling is the #2.

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via reddit.com

awkOZ TIL: The "tradition" of spending several months salary on an engagement ring was a marketing campaign created by De Beers in the 1930's. Before WWII, only 10% of engagement rings contained diamonds. By the end of the 20th Century, 80% did.
nA8W TIL that honey never spoils due to its extreme acidity. Pots of honey have been discovered in Egyptian tombs thousands of years old, and it’s safe to eat.
RJP7 TIL Baby otters can’t swim at first, but their buoyancy makes it possible for the mother to wrap the pup in (sea)weeds to prevent it from drifting away when she needs to hunt
oBXYK TIL that Varina Davis, wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis during the US Civil War, was marginalized due to her dark Welsh complexion, eventually became a Yankee, and accidentally became a good friend of the widow of Union General Ulysses S. Grant.
J1JNm TIL that the NCAA was originally founded to protect college athletes from the brutality of early college football. In 1904 alone, there were 159 serious injuries and 18 deaths on the field.