› added 5 years ago

85

TIL: Ancients measured long distances by hiring "bematists." They were trained to count steps while walking between locations and could measure hundreds of miles with 95%+ accuracy. Eratosthenes used one to calculate the circumference of the Earth within 15% in 240 B.C.E.

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PY15V TIL University of Michigan researchers discovered that couples who drank together reported negative attitudes toward their marriage. But the same study found that when one partner drank while the other abstained, marital dissatisfaction spiked.
X0AoR TIL that the 2010 FIFA world cup song "Waka Waka" by Shakira is actually based on a 1986 song "Zangaléwa", by Cameroonian band Golden Sounds, which was a hit not only across Africa but also in Colombia with the help of West African DJs where Shakira heard the tune when she was a child.
WRdX TIL that the Viking 1 lander explored Mars for six years until human error during a software update caused its antenna to go down, terminating communication.
XEwWD TIL the border between California and Nevada was not completely agreed upon until 1985.
MPKb TIL That Paul the Octopus was so precise in his predictions during the 2010 FIFA World Cup that he received death threats from German fans and had to be offered state protection.