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TIL there is a “never-ending” wave in Brazil called a pororoca, attracting surf competitions from all over the world; the longest record for surfing a single wave is 37 minutes, and was for a distance of 12.5 km

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b9L49 TIL that Admiral Lord Nelson, famous for his victory (and death) at the Battle of Trafalgar, attempted to hunt a polar bear in the Arctic at the age of 14. His musket misfired and he had to fight the now angry bear with the musket butt until a rift in the ice separated them.
0w6Mv TIL 19-yr-old Eric Simons squatted at AOL HQ to work on his startup. When a mentorship ended, his badge still gave access; for 2 months he got basic free food from the lounge, used the showers, locker, & gym, did wash at AOL's free laundromat, & rotated sleep on 3 couches to evade night security.
E1D9w TIL that, although park authorities deny it, Central Park officially has a population of 25 residents according to the 2010 census
xB71 TIL The aerodynamics of the McLaren P1 create more downforce than the weight of the car itself. The rear wing also retracts past 150mph to prevent the downforce from breaking the suspension.
LkOgp TIL that Lisa Kudrow initially played Ursula Buffay in Mad About You and then was cast as Phoebe Buffay in Friends based on that performance, with the producers using it as an opportunity to set the two shows in the same universe.