› added 11 years ago

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TIL that Aerogel, also known as frozen smoke, is the world’s lowest density solid, clocking in anywhere from 95-99% air. If you hold a piece in your hand, it is almost impossible to feel or see, but if you poke it, it is like styrofoam. Also, it can support up to 4,000 times its own weight.

Read more aerogel.org

via reddit.com

0wVBN TIL: even though humans have been getting taller for the past several thousand years, we're still not as tall as we used to be pre-civilization
jN51v TIL about the only woman name to appear on the Declaration of Independence, Mary Katherine Goddard. She was the second printer of the Declaration of Independence and was the first to include the names of the signatories. She was also removed from her Postmaster position because she was a woman.
W719L TIL that Andy Reid (whose Kansas City Chiefs just won the Super Bowl again) was a very large child. At the age of 13, the future head coach appeared on TV for an athletic competition. Already 6'2" tall and weighing 220 lb, Reid was so large that he wore a real NFL player's uniform.
4X1pb TIL that MI5 and MI6 were just two of at least 19 sections of UK Military Intelligence that were set up in WWI, and are the only ones left active that haven't been merged or shutdown.
oBrnA TIL actress Jodie Foster began talking at 9 months, taught herself to read at age 3, landed her first gig as the Coppertone Girl in a commercial at age 3, got an Oscar nomination at age 12, attended Yale, and has an ancestor that came over on The Mayflower.