› added 12 years ago

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TIL every December 25th a town in Peru celebrates “Takanakuy”. Men, women, and children settle grudges with fistfights. Then everyone goes drinking together, ready to start the new year with a clean slate.

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gr9mL TIL about Antônio Carlos Jobim, a Brazilian composer, songwriter, and singer sometimes known as the "father of bossa nova". His 1965 album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year with the single "Garota de Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema)", which became one of the most recorded songs of all time.
R7r71 TIL That Despite it consistently ranking among the lowest in GDP per capita, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has an estimated $24 trillion in untapped minerals, having 70% of the world's coltan, a third of it's cobalt, over 30% of its diamond reserves, and a tenth of its copper.
DyBP TIL William Kamkwamba built a windmill from gum trees, bicycle parts, and scrap finds, to power his family’s farm. Though he didn’t know English, he learned to built the windmill from English books and diagrams. Later, he dug a well and built an irrigation system, which helped grow crops more often.
DQXpY TIL In 1965 part of the training to be a Medic in Vietnam included the Dog Lab where they had to shoot a Dog (Patient) with a .22 (in the thigh) and then treat the wound successfully
e0LZ6 TIL camel and goat eyes are ovals to better control light input and are horizontal for a 'panoramic view' that blocks light from above and below. Cats and predators are vertical slits for judging distance without moving the head. Cats eyes alone have ~9x more control over light than humans.