› added 6 months ago

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TIL Thermal paper, often used for printing receipts, contains a coating that changes color when heated, creating the printed text.

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eKxn TIL Stairwells in medieval castles curved very narrowly and clockwise. Attackers coming up the stairs had sword hands (right hand) against the interior curve of the wall and made it very difficult to swing their swords. Defenders had their sword hands on the outside wall giving much room to swing.
jE5j TIL New Mexico has the best-designed flag of any U.S. state, territory or Canadian province, according to a 2001 survey by the North American Vexillological Association. Texas came in Second Place.
yVKO8 TIL Chuck Mawhinney was a United States Marine who holds the Corps record for the most confirmed sniper kills, having recorded 103 confirmed kills and 216 probable kills in 16 months during the Vietnam War.
WkRGA TIL there is a small village in Switzerland called "Chäs und Brot" (Cheese and Bread) . It's got its name in 1339, after Bernese troops ate cheese and bread there the evening before the battle of Laupen. The next day, they won decisively against the Burgundian army.
JElk TIL there is a ‘fake’ townhouse in brooklyn heights that’s actually a ventilation shaft for the subway.