› added 10 years ago

53

TIL tetanus is NOT caused by the rust in rusty nails. The rough surface of rust merely provides the ideal habitat for the bacteria that causes tetanus.

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dDElr TIL that there are over two dozen universities in the U.S. that have their own nuclear reactors.
WJGo TIL During the WWII there was a killing contest between two Japanese officers — a race to see which of them could kill 100 people first using only a sword. It was covered like a sporting event in Japanese newspapers with regular updates on the score over a series of days.
a8M59 TIL that JFK didn’t invite Sammy Davis Jr. to his 1961 inauguration as Sammy had married a white woman, and JFK was worried that the presence of an interracial couple would upset Southerners. Dean Martin, who was angered by this news, refused to attend the inauguration in solidarity with Sammy.
KYMx6 TIL that in 2012, German animal rights groups estimated that up to 500,000 animals were dying each year to "excessive sex practices." Later that year, Germany would criminalize bestiality.
PYeGE TIL that all snakes possess venom producing glands, even ones that aren't clinically venomous. Snakes that kill preys through constriction, in particular, use these glands to secrete a lubricant, which helps them swallow the prey.