› added 5 years ago

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TIL Harry Houdini was an aviation pioneer and the pilot of the first controlled, powered flight in Australia

Read more ctie.monash.edu.au

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D1oWp TIL Pluto was named by 11-year-old Venetia Burney. After her grandfather read about the discovery, Venetia, who enjoyed mythology, said the planet was in a region similar to the dark, remote underworld ruled by the Roman god Pluto. Her grandfather then contacted astronomers suggesting the name.
rKnw TIL that when the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was passed, only the birdseed industry successfully lobbied against it by arguing that hemp seeds gave birds shinier feathers than other seeds. Because of this, birdseed producers are legally allowed to import hemp seeds into the US (deactivated) today.
9YvBm TIL Greenland sharks have an estimated lifespan of up to six hundred years.
b9NbE TIL There is a lake in Russia nicknamed the “Siberian Maldives” where Russians pose for photos due to its bright turquoise colour. The lake is not that colour naturally it is turquoise due to toxic waste runoff from a local power plant and is very hazardous
djjK TIL Jackie Chan’s movie, ‘Dragon Lord’ (1982), set a World Record for most takes for a single scene totaling 2,900 total before Jackie Chan got it right to perfection in his eyes