› added 5 years ago

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TIL about the dihydrogen monoxide parody, the action of calling water by an unfamiliar chemical name, listing "side effects" which are just scientific terms for harmless water-related bodily processes, and calling for it to be banned. This demonstrates the importance of scientific literacy.

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evJ6 TIL that Isle Royale, the largest island on lake superior, has a lake which has an island which has a pond which has a boulder. So the boulder becomes the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake in the world.
dDDyK TIL the national sport in Anguilla is boat racing. This passion stemmed from the early 1900s where Anguillans sought employment on neighboring islands. The voyages home would turn into competitions of speed. (Reposted due to typo in title)
jNZ1M TIL there is a temple in India where approximately 25,000 black rats live and are revered.Eating the food that has been nibbled on by the rats is considered to be a 'high honor' and few white rats among the black rats are considered especially holy.
0wn9v TIl Nova Scotia gives Boston a Christmas tree every year as thanks. In 1917 a ship carrying explosives exploded near the city of Halifax, killing 1,500 people immediately and hundreds in the next few weeks. The city of Boston immediately sent doctors, supplies, and money by ship and train to help.
ZW4v TIL that carrier pigeons only know how to fly back to their home base. The infrastructure that supported this messaging system required regular deliveries of birds between cities and regular release of the birds so they did not imprint on a new location.