› added 8 years ago

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TIL killer whales that prey on other mammals enter ‘stealth mode’ when hunting, not making any sounds until the prey has been caught. Killer whales that prey on fish, however, continue to make noise at all points in their hunting since fish can’t hear the frequencies they use

XnJj TIL the CIA’s concern over soccer fields along the coast of Cuba led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. In September 1962, a CIA analyst noticed the fields and became concerned because, as he put it, “Cubans play baseball, Russians play soccer.”
k7Nm TIL that in the late 1600s London was plagued by an attacker who would spank his victims with a rod and shout “Spanko!” before running away
EgZpX TIL that chimney sweeping in Germany is protected by a "frankly medieval" guild system. The article also talks about the sweeps' involvement in the country's dark past, the legal requirement to let sweeps in and how freelance competition provoked legal backlash (at time of publication)
grnXA TIL that Brooklyn New York has a bigger Jewish population than Jerusalem. 1 out of every 4 people in Brooklyn is Jewish and it has been called "the most Jewish spot on Earth".
Z8Owa TIL that when all movie theaters were closed in 2020, a filmmaker made a movie in one week and rented out an entire theater to show it in. It was officially recognized as the #1 movie in America on that day. Because he was technically both the studio and the theater, he made all of his money back.