› added 6 years ago

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TIL a mermaid documentary fooled so many people that the U.S. Government had to issue a statement

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o9go TIL The shower of sparks seen during Space Shuttle launches are often assumed to be engine igniters but they’re actually part of the Hydrogen Burnoff System; a safety system designed to consume unburned hydrogen so it doesn’t damage other parts of the shuttle.
wle1 TIL that families in blood debt some times attempt to resolve the situation by leaving a baby (face down into a pillow) on their doorstep. If the grieving family turn the baby over, they accept it into their home and the 2 families are related. If they leave the baby to die, the feud intensifies.
5YBe9 TIL within a span of 60 years in the 16th century, 3 epidemics (1 Smallpox and 2 Cocoliztli) killed an estimated 40%, 80% and 50% of the population (at the time) of Mexico. They started with the arrival of the Spanish and particularly targeted the indigenous people. Estimated 25 million deaths.
VBWwk TIL Mount Saint Elias is both the second tallest mountain in the United States and the second tallest mountain in Canada.
vx4x TIL a parisian gastronomist invented the “rôti sans pareil”, a warbler, stuffed inside a bunting, inside a lark, inside a thrush, inside a quail…lapwing, plover, partridge, woodcock, teal, guinea fowl, duck, chicken, pheasant, goose, turkey, bustard. A 17-bird stuffed meal.