› added 13 years ago

132

TIL: In 1860’s San Francisco, two stray dogs who were “best friends” became local celebrities, their exploits were celebrated in local papers, and they were granted immunity from the city’s dog catchers.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

YpXxd TIL Cheddar cheese wasn't the dominantly produced cheese in Britain until WWII, when cheese factories were forced to produce Cheddar due to its high yield per litre of milk; this was necessary due to the introduction of rationing.
9w7MX TIL that following a deadly avalanche in 1962, Peruvian authorities were warned of the potential for a much larger slide to occur by a group of American climbers. These warnings were not only ignored but actively suppressed. 8 years later the deadliest avalanche in history occurred, killing 30k
jNmeR TIL The Maya civilization used chocolate as money and the disruption of the cacao supply which fueled political power may have led to an economic breakdown, causing the collapse of the empire.
R5WQ1 TIL of the Highway of Death, a six-lane highway between Kuwait and Iraq where US forces boxed in and then systematically slaughtered an estimated 1,000+ retreating Iraqi soldiers during the Gulf War. The devastation was so immense that President Bush Sr. declared a ceasefire the following day.
klZB TIL that there is a mental condition called depersonalization disorder and it is where a person disengages with being in first person and sees/feels themselves in third person.