› added 5 years ago

237

TIL that when a bee hive becomes too full, bees will form a "Senate" comprised of older, more experienced bees to seek a new location. When a bee finds a good spot, it begins dancing to motion other bees toward it. Then, they vote on it by dancing as a collective until a consensus is reached.

Read more npr.org

via reddit.com

GYVmG TIL of Nirmal Purja, a Nepalese professional Mountaineer and former Ghurka. He's currently attempting to summit the 14 tallest peaks in the world in 7 months. The previous record is just under 8 years. Only 1 month in, he's already reached the summits 6 of the peaks, including Everest.
e0rA5 TIL Iceland has a genealogy book containing details of every Icelander going back as far as the 9th century
8aPrZ TIL of a tradition in the United States Senate whereby a senator who sits at a particular desk near a busy entrance keeps a drawer full of candy for members of the body.
vPNDx TIL about Emperor Norton, an eccentric with no formal power. Dressed in full regalia he would inspect the streets of San Francisco and give edicts which were published by the newspapers. Some businesses even accepted currency with his face on it. When he died over 10,000 people viewed his body.
D1RMp TIL The widowhood effect is the increase in the probability of a person dying a relatively short time after their long-time spouse has died. The pattern indicates a sharp increase in risk of death for the widower, particularly, in the three months closest thereafter the death of the spouse.