› added 12 years ago

138

TIL that China has an obsession with cloning Western cities. They cloned Paris and it’s a ghost town.

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0ooR TIL that in 2012 two 18-year-old students discovered that some bacteria can be cultured to target the base chemicals that make up plastics, thus advancing the search for plastics-destroying microbes.
a8J59 TIL about the Tarantula Hawk, a type of spider wasp which preys on Tarantulas. The wasp uses its sting to paralyze the spider and drags it to its nest. It then lays a single egg on it. When the egg hatches the larva eats the spider alive slowly and by avoiding vital organs.
MeRjV TIL about the early history of American souvenir shops. Prior to specialized gift shops, visitors often removed random aritifacts as mementos leading to decay. In an effort to combat this activity, George Washington's MT Vernon estate began making items for sale from select trees on site.
ney7P TIL that a German submarine was forced to surface and subsequently bombed, because a crew member made a mistake while using the toilet. Instead of flushing, he opened a valve that flooded the u-boats batteries, casuing them to create a deadly gas.
0wxPy TIL Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell was struck by lightning in the middle of a game. He got up, finished the inning, and won the game.