› added 9 years ago

238

TIL that tumbleweeds spread radiation from old nuclear sites

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vP4mj TIL The plane crash in Breaking Bad mirrors the real-life 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision, and the junior air traffic controller involved was actually named Walter White.
xQEw TIL that an estimated 900 Jehova’s Witness followers die every year as a result of refusing blood transfusions.
Z8y6v TIL that the two largest pearls in the world were both found in Palawan, Philippines. The largest one weighs 75lbs and is said to be worth $100M. It was found by a fisherman, hid it under his bed and forgot about it for 10 years, the second is 14lbs and is known as the Pearl of Lao Tzu, worth $52M.
dDygd TIL that the infamous image of a man who lost his jaw, was falsely associated with Eben Byers (who had his jaw surgically removed after taking daily doses of radium for 3 years), in reality, this image is from a book about plastic surgery from 1943
x6aVB TIL those concrete dividers on highways and streets are called Jersey barriers. Originally invented in the 1950s for use in New Jersey, they were first poured in place but are now pre-made and modular or even plastic. Taller varieties are used as defenses outside US military bases.