› added 4 years ago

105

TIL an ice cube sized block of Aerogel contains as much surface area as half a football field.

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neAoG TIL that in 1403, at the Battle of Shrewsbury when future King Henry V of England was 16 he was shot in the face by an arrow. The royal physician, while using honey as an antiseptic, crafted a specially designed tool to successfully extract the embedded arrowhead without doing any further damage.
vZp4 TIL sperm whales sleep vertically.
k081 TIL That on this day in 1963 the US Military created an artificial ring around the earth, similar to that of the planet Saturn. The ring was made of copper needles and was used for worldwide communications in the case that the Soviets disabled all other methods of communication.
VB5Np TIL Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas had to overcome another band member's concerns that her voice was too low for his arrangements and that her obesity would hurt the band's success.
69yEl TIL a 1989 survey of Consumers Voice readers revealed 70% of people prefer toilet paper in the “over” orientation. Supporters, including The Simpsons (1995), and the 1891 patent for toilet paper, argue it’s more hygienic and accessible, while “under” fans highlight aesthetics and pet safety.