› added 8 years ago

108

TIL that the Aral Sea used to be the fourth largest lake but has been steadily shrinking since 1960. It is draining because the USSR diverted two rivers that fed the sea in order to construct two irrigation canals and build a cotton industry in Uzbekistan.

Read more earthobservatory.nasa.gov

via reddit.com

VMBrZ TIL that during WW1, French commander Joseph Joffre employed professional car racer Georges Boillot to drive him around the conflict zone at blazing speeds.
5oP TIL Christopher Columbus recorded a UFO sighting in his journal en route to discovering America in 1492.
ADMad TIL when Ted Bundy was put on trial, women would send him fan mail, many of which included nude pictures or marriage proposals. Groupies would even show up to the courtroom wearing hoop earrings with their hair parted down the middle, on the assumption that this style matched his victims.
8eABZ TIL: in 1275, the count of Holland exempted the residents of the tiny fishing village of Amsterdam from tolls, attracting large numbers of merchants and putting it on a path to develop into a major trading hub over the centuries
wLyeP TIL a woman burnt down the 5th oldest tree on earth while smoking meth