› added 9 years ago

155

TIL saloop, a drink of ground orchid tubers, was a popular 18th century alternative to coffee or tea until it became rumoured to cure venereal disease. After that drinking it in public became shameful.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

W7kvB Today I learned that Jenny Hanivers are taxidermied rays, skates, or guitarfish. The broad, flat creatures are then heavily altered and desiccated to create a gruesome cryptid.
KOgw TIL Deja vu has an opposite, it’s called “Jamais vu”
W7kEd TIL that the “sailing stones” in Death Valley move in very short 15 minute bursts due to a very specific combination of rain, freezing temperatures and wind.
4kNB6 TIL that Combos, officially called Combos Stuffed Snacks, are produced by forming a soft bread-like dough, which is hollowed out into a tube-shaped form. A cutter slices the dough into bite-sized lengths. The snacks are then baked, cooled, and filled with the appropriate filling.
gv88 TIL that scientists from L'Aquila, Italy, were sentenced to six years in prison for failing to warn of an earthquake, despite lacking any reliable means to do so.