› added 4 years ago

51

TIL America and "the Americas" were named after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator and merchant. "America" was chosen because it matches Europe and Asia, which are also womens names.

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kMyW TIL that a magazine called Continuum constantly published articles denouncing the HIV/AIDs as a hoax from 1992 until 2001, before ceasing its publication because all its contributors died from AIDs-defining clinical conditions.
0wQEy TIL that a research suggests that humans fear cockroaches the most, even more than mosquitoes, due to an evolutionary aversion.
wLM5J TIL Elephant's Foot, in Room 215 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant, a mass of corium and other materials formed, creating an foot like shape (hence the time), In the 80s it had enough radiation built up in it that it could kill you in 5 minutes, as the radiation was insanely powerful.
GYE81 TIL Koalas sleep 18-22 hours a day due to the daily strain on their system to digest toxic Eucalyptus
5VAQR TIL that Ann Margret, the famous singer, dancer and actress from the 60s, was of Swedish descent and emigrated to the US in 1946 with the family not knowing a word of English.