› added 6 years ago

478

TIL that in German tramp stamps are called "ass antlers" aka Arschgeweih

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Z8xWa TIL that diamond, despite being the hardest material known, will shatter if hit with a hammer. Hardness means resistance to scratching; toughness is a different property.
PYaBe TIL Jame Watson (co-discoverer of DNA) decided to auction off his Nobel prize medal in view of his diminished income, for US$4.1 million. The medal was subsequently returned to Watson by the purchaser, Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov.
awGO9 TIL that the buildings inside the Cheyenne Mountain Complex (where NORAD is located) rest on giant half-ton springs to absorb the shock of earthquakes and nuclear attacks.
7rRgX TIL that if Jupiter gained any additional mass, its size would not change. The planet would become more dense, and it would start pulling in on itself. Astronomers estimate that Jupiter could end up with four times its current mass and still remain about the same size.
8N7G TIL a CIA plane crash-landed over Yucatan in Mexico with four tons of cocaine on board. Yes. Four tons.