› added 1 year ago

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TIL fire tornados are a thing. Spawned by wildfires and sometimes volcanos, these fiery vortices can uproot trees with winds over of 143 mph (230 km/h).

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6E0M8 TIL in 2005, Astronaut Stephen Robinson had to fix the Shuttle Discovery in orbit to make it to Earth alive. Material sticking out between the heat panels had to be removed to avoid burning up on re-entry. He improvised tools, including a saw made with duct tape, and removed it on a spacewalk.
69Y18 TIL that Stephen Hawking had a great sense of humor. Addressing the rumor that Stephen Hawking would deliberately run over the toes of people he didn’t like. He denied this rumor by stating it was “A false rumor” and “I’ll run over anyone who repeats it”. 😂
b6oKp TIL Sumerians counted with the 3 knuckles of the 4 upper fingers on one hand, then tracked groupings with all 5 fingers on the other hand. This is why seconds and minutes are still measured sexagesimally (base 60 = 3 x 4 x 5)
j7YX TIL that at over 8 megapascals (1160 psi), it has been estimated that a bite from a grizzly bear could crush a bowling ball.
GAVwQ TIL in the early 1900s, lead arsenate was the most widely used pesticide in the U.S. The USDA recommended it broadly and millions of acres were sprayed with it across the country to protect crops.