› added 10 years ago

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TIL Shakuntala Devi, an Indian mental calculator,was asked to give the 23rd root of a 201-digit number; she answered in 50 seconds. Her answer was confirmed by calculations done at the US Bureau of Standards for which a special program had to be written to perform such a large calculation.

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78ML7 TIL that Volkswagen had a huge ranch in the Brazilian Amazonia and is accused of have used modern slaves in the 70s and 80s
yQJ8l TIL that 'Passing the Buck' comes from using a buckhorn handled knife to designate the next dealer in a poker game; a player could decline the deal and 'pass the buck'
9wpZG TIL rust (corrosion) has an estimated worldwide annual cost of $2.5 trillions, roughly 3.4% of the global GDP
loKK1 TIL that thousands of Americans may have died because they were afraid to fly. Since 9/11 led travelers to choose driving over flying, Cornell researchers believe that the attacks caused an increase of 242 deaths per month due to flying being safer than driving.
Myk8 TIL Carpe Diem actually means the opposite of YOLO. It’s meaning is to take action and be responsible for your future today.