› added 5 years ago

75

TIL Edgar Allan Poe wrote Eureka, an obscure book, in 1848 in which he insisted that the universe began in "one instantaneous flash" - more than a century before astronomers hypothesized the Big Bang Theory.

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LjOd TIL Approximately 95% of the world population has a natural immunity to leprosy
NXdrQ TIL Joseph Stalin was covered in scars from the smallpox that he’d survived at the age of seven and had official photos portray his face as smooth and fresh with well maintained hair by heavily editing and retouching photos.
ynpa TIL that the difference in color of green/yellow/red bell peppers is their stage in the ripening process, not that they are different varieties.
nGNP TIL: Europe was much bigger, with a massive area of land connecting England, France, Denmark and Germany as recently as 8,000 BC. The landmass was washed away by one of the largest landslides and tsunamis known.
4X15J TIL Rudyard Kipling (perhaps best known for penning Rikki Tikki Tavi) was a staunch nationalist and pro-war advocate. However, his son disappeared in Belgium during WW1 and Rudyard’s wife never forgave him for pushing his child to enlist in the British army.