› added 7 years ago

74

TIL of "soft despotism": a state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. It gives people the illusion that they are in control, when in fact they have very little influence over their government.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

J1dD8 TIL the humming noise produced by electricity is a different tone in Europe than it is in the US. The American electrical hum is a B-flat whereas the European electrical hum is a G
4X04w TIL that saying dark horse that describes unexpected winner is based on English prime minister Benjamin Disraeli's book "The Young Duke : A Moral Tale Though Gay" where mysterious dark horse wins the race against all odds
mxrNY TIL women’s peak fertility is at age 24 with women under 25 having a 96% chance to conceive. By age 30, the chance of miscarriage rises 20% and women’s fertility begins to decline at age 35.
Me8dW TIL that the great-great-grandson of Tsar Nicholas Romanoff I of Russia grew up to serve in the British Navy, participated in the Normandy invasions, and become an American folk artist
P7Xn TIL there’s a ‘spider-tailed’ viper thats tail mimics the appearance and movement of a spider in order to lure prey.