› added 4 years ago

93

TIL about The Great Stink, whereupon during a long hot summer in 1858 the River Thames in London got so stinky, it stopped Parliament carrying out business, and made Joseph Bazalgette an unsung British hero.

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vb1D TIL that Adam Rainer was a dwarf at age 21, (standing 3 feet 10 inches, 118cm) but began to grow at an astonishing rate. When he died, he was 7 feet 8 inches (234cm) tall.
Anj7 TIL Erwin Rommel as a junior officer in the German Army during World War 1, captured 19,000 Italian soldiers during the Battle of Caporetto over the course of 13 days with less than 150 men under his command. Six German soldiers died under his command in the battle.
y7rV TIL of John Michell, a scientist of the 1700s, described as being “so far ahead of his scientific contemporaries that his ideas languished in obscurity, until they were re-invented more than a century later.” -the first person to propose the existence of black holes and much more.
rRxKy TIL Macques have a vocal tract capable of spoken language but lack the brain power for it.
KOjow TIL That contrary to the Australian phrase “waking up at sparrows fart” to indicate a time very early in the morning, birds don’t fart.