› added 7 years ago

823

TIL that in 2015 in LA, 96 million plastic balls known as "Shade Balls" were thrown into the water in an effort to conserve 300 million gallons of water

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yRpM TIL engineers building a bridge between Germany and Switzerland found that when the two halves met their elevations differed by 54 cm. Germany bases sea level on the North Sea, and Switzerland by the Mediterranean; someone messed up the correction, doubling it instead of cancelling it out.
OG0PR TIL at the end of hostilities during WW1, a German U-boat surrendered and was supposed to be towed to France, but the tow cable snapped and the submarine washed up on a beach in Hastings, UK. Thousands of tourists visited to see her until she was broken up in 1921.
78RyL TIL Belavezhskaya Pushcha National Park's 1300 sq km of primeval forest is the last remains of a canopy that eight centuries ago covered northern Europe. Its 300 or so European bison were driven to near extinction before being bred back from 12 animals
dDZbE TIL after Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492, they discovered Taino people roasting meat over a grill, allowing the flames and smoke to envelop the meat for a certain flavor. Called "barabicu" by the Taino, the technique spread to Europe and the colonies, and is now known as Barbecue.
pYA44 TIL about the tapetum lucidum of Arctic reindeer eyes, which changes color from gold in summer to blue in winter to improve their vision during times of continuous darkness, and perhaps enable them to better spot predators. They can also see within the ultraviolet range.