› added 6 years ago

272

TIL that in 1999, Harvard physicist Lene Hau was able to slow down light to 17 meters per second and in 2001, was able to stop light completely.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

yygp TIL That the federal government takes a percentage (as high as 47% in recent years) of every raisin farmer’s crops… every year… without paying for them. This is due to an arcane law still on the books from WWII reconstruction.
D1eQP TIL - There is a grove of trees that spells out "STUDEBAKER" when viewed from the air. This grove of trees outlasted the now defunct automobile company.
8elyG TIL Activision tried to buy out Tony Hawk’s royalty rights from him for $500k when the game was launching. He declined.
mx7Nx TIL: Shrek was a book (1990) before it was a movie (2001)
x6KNB TIL of Toussaint Louverture, the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. Born a slave, his tactical brilliance and commitment to freedom resulted in the abolition of slavery in Haiti in 1793. His leadership saw the island emerge as the first independent republic in Latin America in 1804.