› added 4 years ago

219

TIL "La Brea" translates to "The Tar", so "The 'La Brea' Tar Pits" means "The The Tar Tar Pits"

Read more spanishdict.com

via reddit.com

prkb TIL Second world countries refers to the former socialist, industrial states. I.e. Russia and China
X4m8 TIL Tolkien did not want the third LOTR publication to be called ‘Return of the King’, as he felt it revealed too much of the story. This title was chosen by the publisher.
LeQv TIL that the nomadic “hunter-gatherer” phase of humanity makes up over 90% of Homo Sapien history. Civilisation and recorded history have existed for a tiny fraction of the time that our species has existed.
D1rEV TIL that Southern live oak was a secret weapon of the USS Constitution, one of America's first naval vessels, that was nicknamed "Old Ironsides" after so many cannonballs bounced off her hull because live oak wood is a super dense wood.
mpbo TIL that there is no reason to expect a supervolcanic eruption at Yellowstone in the near future. Such events are ‘neither regular nor predictable’.