› added 3 years ago

85

TIL That levels are sometimes referred to as "spirit levels" because the fluid inside was commonly colored spirit or alcohol for contrast. Today the fluid is usually a dyed ethanol because it doesn't freeze as easily and provides less friction for bubble movement when compared to water.

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xVJ8g TIL that director Steven Spielberg's father is 103 (!!!) and won a Computer Pioneer Award in 2006.
LkBRV Today I learned this interesting piece of history about the 19th century colonial railroad race to Yunnan! Connecting railways lines across the Asian landscapes in a bid to exert imperial dominance in Southeast Asia.
neQeB TIL of the kangaroo mouse that lives in the Nevada desert. It can go its entire life without drinking as they can get all the fluid it needs from the seeds and grain it eats
aw5KJ TIL Until the early 60's it was earnestly believed that there were active volcanoes on the moon.
Xv1j TIL Astronaut Jim Irwin, who walked on the moon, was a creationist Christian who later led expeditions to Turkey to find Noah’s Ark