› added 8 months ago

148

TIL that in China there is a village called Houtouwan that has been "swallowed" by nature. It's located on the island of Shengshan, and in its heyday it was inhabited by three thousand families.

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yg7V TIL women were not the first choice as telephone operators. Prior to September 1, 1878, when a woman named Emma Nutt became the first female operator, boys were the preferred choice. It soon became apparent, however, that boys would insult, curse at, and prank the customers.
LDe0 TIL the instinctive, irrational urge to jump from high places is normal, and called l'appel du vide.
7r8Nr TIL The world premiere of Blazing Saddles took place at a drive-in theater in Burbank, CA where 200 guests watched the film on horseback.
0WXj TIL that as impressive as the Lockheed SR71 was, it had a secret older brother (the A-12) which was even faster, lighter, and had a higher service ceiling.
wLWlW TIL about the Byford Dolphin, an oil rig where in 1983 a diving bell carrying four men accidentally depressurized. It remains the only time in history where a human being was torn apart from rapid decompression.