› added 6 years ago

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TIL about sand gangs, or organized crime rings that mine sand from rivers beds and beaches, who sell sand for use in worldwide concrete production. They've gotten so bad in recent years, from murders, petty crimes, and habitat destruction, that many governments are actively trying to shut them down.

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

WDn9 TIL: Putting candles on birthday cakes dates back to the Ancient Greeks, who often burned candles as offerings to their many gods & goddesses. It was their way to pay tribute to the Greek moon goddess, Artemis. Round cakes symbolized the moon. Candles were added to represent the reflected moonlight.
7rbaO TIL about Panasonic Jungle which was a portable platform for MMO titles Battlestar Galactica Online was one of the first games confirmed for the device (Stellar Dawn and RuneScape are the only other known confirmed titles).
7rmOP TIL that cheetahs are native to Asia in addition to Africa. The Asiatic cheetah is a critically endangered subspecies whose range has shrunk to Iran's central plateau. It's believed that there were fewer than 50 individuals in the wild as of 2017.
QJRj9 TIL about the Battle of Cajamarca in 1532, where 169 Spaniards defeated an Inca army 80,000 men. The Incas were outmatched, the Spanish had horses, better equipment and guns that scared the Incas.
rRb1x TIL that, while often used interchangeably, “prejudice” refers to preconceived ideas about a particular group regardless of reason, “bigotry” denotes discriminatory behavior without need for any system or power, & “racism” involves the unequal distribution of power on the basis of race.