› added 4 years ago

175

TIL that Solitaire and Minesweeper were included with Windows to teach users how to use a mouse, not for entertainment

Read more mentalfloss.com

via reddit.com

VMww0 TIL that many countries used "Immurement" as a form of punishment, where the victim was locked in a box and left to starve to death. The latest usage was in 1914, where a Mongolian woman left in a wooden crate died of dehydration.
yQg8V TIL "killer bees" (real name: Africanized bees) are actually a man-made hybrid species created in 1957 when 26 swarms of them escaped quarantine
7r5Mr Today I Learned that the image of Smokey the Bear undergoes more enforced regulation than the American flag. This is not hyperbole, the US government has to give explicit permission for anyone to have a costume, and does not allow Smokey The Bear to be depicted in any way that is demeaning to him.
x7vw TIL FEMA has been using Waffle Houses as unofficial indicators of disaster recovery in recent years. The chains are conveniently located across the hurricane zones of the US, usually operate 24 hours a day and have exceptional disaster preparedness that lets them open back up quickly after a storm.
ENG0 TIL the largest human migration in the world, “Chunyun”, occurs annually around Chinese New Year when everyone returns home to reunite with family.