› added 9 years ago

195

TIL an epidemic of contagious laughter broke out in Tanzania in 1962, which lasted over six months and affected thousands of people

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yQDdl TIL about Okinawa Island. This particular island is a so-called Blue Zone, an area where the people live longer than most others elsewhere in the world. As of 2002 there were 34.7 centenarians for every 100,000 inhabitants, which is the highest ratio worldwide.
4XRjJ TIL that the pyramids were not built by slaves but by well-nourished, payed workers
yVY0v TIL the British submarine HMS Poseidon sank in 1931 after a collision with a Chinese steamship; 21 crew died in the incident. In 1972, the sub was secretly salvaged by China which wasn't known about in the West until a journalist discovered its description in a 2002 Chinese magazine article.
Akl7 TIL that in the early 90s Sudanese NBA player Manute Bol tried to warn the US Congress and the Pentagon about the threats of Osama bin Laden. His worries were “dismissed”
pDd4 TIL that Bob Dole’s 1996 campaign web site is still online.