› added 6 years ago

68

TIL of the Sack of Rome in 390 BC. After the Romans were routed and the city was all but destroyed, the Romans figured their only decision was to pay the invaders to leave. It worked.

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kOea5 TIL Jonathan; a Tortoise Living on St. Helena, is the oldest confirmed living terrestrial animal on Earth. He is 186. When he was born George Washington had only been dead 33 years...and Abraham Lincoln was 22 years old.
oRJaL TIL hundreds of mummified seals have been found as far as 41 miles inland in Antarctica. One tested specimen had been sitting out in the open for 1,500 years. Researchers theorize that 1-2 seals annually get lost during white-out events and accidentally travel inland, where they eventually die.
D1E7j TIL that Sister Josephine Rosenthal was the first ever recorded possessed nun, and the front portion of her face and skull were mummified!
awYJN TIL while Michael Collins was orbiting the moon, mission control warned of a problem with the shuttle's coolant system. Instead of fixing the problem manually as advised, he flicked the system's switch from auto to manual, then back to auto, and carried on with other chores. The issue self resolved.
BMEr TIL heavy smoke conducts electricity.