› added 3 months ago

18

TIL about Penitentes, rare natural snow formations, named as such after the hooded penitents of Easter

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via reddit.com

N8wN TIL that “rods” and “hogshead” are actual measurement units, and when Grandpa Simpson claims his car “gets forty rods to the hogshead, and that’s the way I like it”, he’s boasting about getting just shy of 0.002 MPG.
BrV1r TIL that Wood Frogs don't hibernate in the winter like other animals, rather they cryogenically freeze their bodies, stopping all their organs INCLUDING their heart, and stay this way for months before thawing themselves out when the weather gets warmer in the spring.
p8O98 TIL Michael Phelps' lungs can store twice as much oxygen compared to the average person
69bOW TIL that astronomers observed a spot on Jupiter between 1665 and 1713, but there were no further mentions of a spot until 1831. Scientists believe that the two spots were likely different phenomena, in which case the current Great Red Spot would only be around 200 years old.
6Wd7 TIL when the invading Philip of Macedon sent this message to Sparta - “You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city”, they sent back a one word reply - “If”