› added 1 month ago

5

TIL in Germany, drivers stuck in traffic on the Autobahn must leave an emergency lane in the middle of the road at all times. (Also Austria & Switzerland).

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9wEkr TIL there is a tiny amount of americium(specifically americium-241) in most smoke detectors)(don't worry it's a very small amount so you are fine)
4mpR TIL in his final days Lyndon B. Johnson would listen to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel repeatedly while agonizing over his legacy; worrying that he would only be remembered for the Vietnam War and not as the architect of equal rights and Medicare.
Xml6 TIL the Aral Sea, once the 4th largest lake in the world, has been steadily shrinking since the 1960’s. It’s now 1/10th the original size. Nearly 90% of the water has now given way to sandy desert with wrecks of beached boats dotting the surface.
XERvr TIL that Smaug the dragon originally had 4 legs in the first Hobbit movie but was changed to having 2 legs and 2 wing-arms in the second Hobbit movie.
v168j TIL Freddie Mercury preferred being with his cats than other people, and often called who was taking care of them to "talk" to his cats when he was away.