› added 9 years ago

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TIL due to irregularities in Earth’s rotation speed, clocks sometimes strike 23:59:60 to stay in sync with a day’s real duration, essentially creating minutes with 61 seconds.

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GYGPQ TIL about "Cherophobia". It's a belief that when you become happy, something bad will happen right after.
XERK8 TIL Researchers have developed a self-cleaning surface which uses nano-scale surface engineering and chemistry. It can repel/prevent the transfer of antibiotic-resistant superbugs and other bacteria. The material can be shrink-wrapped onto door handles, railings, and other surfaces
JYL11 TIL that the electric chair is still a method that can be used for death row inmates in Tennessee. Inmates can decide on their own method of execution in the state. Some opt for the electric chair due to their fears of lethal injections.
8aWRa TIL I learned that both Chinese and Koreans refer to themselves as "Han." However, their origins are unrelated, with Chinese "Han" ultimately deriving from the name of a local river, and Korean "Han" likely sharing the same root as the "khan" of the Mongols and Turks
a8wA TIL that in 1994, when the Northridge earthquake knocked out the power in LA, people contacted authorities and observatories wondering what the strange bright lights (stars) in the sky were.