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TIL lightning hasn’t brought down a plane since 1967 because modern planes possess a fuselage that acts as a Faraday cage, which is a container that blocks electromagnetic fields. The charge instead runs around the outside of the craft and disperses from the tail.

Read more time.com

via reddit.com

NXQe6 TIL Until 2010, blood donors in Ireland were given a free pint of Guinness to restore their iron deficiency, as the beer contains high levels of iron; vitamin B; and calcium.
b9aA7 TIL Karl Dönitz became fuhrer after Hitler’s suicide, & his cabinet continued to have daily 10am meetings for about a month even though they had no power. They discussed how Germany should proceed after the war, despite the Allies showing absolutely no interest in adopting their plans
XoAR TIL that Africans have the longest limbs, Europeans medium, and Asians shortest limbs due to increased or decreased surface area to expel or conserve heat in hot or cold climates.
Zp4W4 TIL about Chögyam Trungpa, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation master who slept with female students, drank heavily, and spent $40,000 a year on cocaine.
OoQYL TIL A huge oak tree transfers almost 40,000 gallons (151,000 litres) of water into the atmosphere in one year.