› added 8 years ago

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TIL there is a city in Russia where the pollution is so severe that mining the topsoil is now economically feasible because it contains so many heavy metals.

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9YWnr TIL that Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS church, and his brother Hyrum were shot to death by an angry mob while in prison in Carthage, Illinois. After being shot in the face, Hyrum exclaimed “I’m a dead man, Joseph!” Then Joseph was shot while trying to escape out of a second story window.
XorR TIL the plural, gender-neutral term for “nieces and nephews” is “niblings”
x4jg TIL Sir Ian McKellen broke down and cried as a result of all the green screen acting required when filming ‘The Hobbit’
rRDVx TIL about hypertumors, a type of tumor that forms on top of an existing tumor and kills it. This happens more on larger animals, which may explain why blue whales don't die of cancer often.
j08p TIL nut theft is a thing amongst squirrels. To avoid it, squirrels will create false nut caches to trick the thieves.