› added 11 years ago

113

TIL - US Air Force honours their fallen with a fly-by salute, called “The Missing Man” in which the formation flies very low and the leader’s wingman pulls up rapidly, which represents departure to heaven. This is an aerial equivalent of riderless horse.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

xGNk TIL Since being discovered by the timber industry in the 1850s, 96% of the 2,000,000 acres of old-growth Coast Redwood trees in California have been logged.
6Ex5m TIL male penguins don’t have penises and penguins just kind of “rub holes” to have sex.
N7NyE TIL bilinguals have increased executive control, which is responsible for the cognitive control of behavior. This is because bilinguals need to train their brain to suppress one language when speaking the other. As a result, they become better at controlling behavior and impulses in general.
nejVB TIL that Millennials being scrutinized isn't unique to this generation. Older generations have been doing it to younger generations for over 2,000 years. Similar criticisms include laziness, being self absorbed, spending too much money, expectations being too high, and the use of technology.
wbk8 TIL Harold Williams a 20th Century Linguist and Journalist spoke 58 languages and learnt Serbian in two days. He amazed delegates at the League of Nations by speaking to each in their own language.