› added 5 months ago

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TIL the Cullinan Diamond is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found, and it was sent from South Africa to the UK by post. A steamboat reportedly carrying it in a guarded safe was a decoy

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KdrR TIL that the process of getting torn apart by a black hole is called Spaghettification
XEaoE TIL that last year in Denver there was a migration event for air mattresses. Resident Robb Manes was in his pool when two mattresses flew in. When he went outside there were 50 to 100 migrating across a field.
xr11 TIL that in French, Catalan or in Occitan, “cul-de-sac” literally means “ass of a bag”. J. R. R. Tolkien used the name Bag End as a literal translation of “cul-de-sac”, to poke fun at the British use of French terms.
a5PL TIL that tomorrow is Bloomsday, where James Joyce enthusiasts all over the world celebrate the day their favorite author got a handjob on a first date
GYNa5 TIL guns can be fired in space. Gunpowder contains its own oxidizer, which allows guns to work even in the vacuum of space.