› added 12 years ago

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TIL most train horns are based on musical chords. Common passenger trains found in the U.S. are usually based on maj6th chords, which are not as threatening as most freight trains, which are based on more dissonant, frightening , such as diminished 7th chords

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ByQK TIL that diamonds aren’t all that rare and were manufactured into a romantic symbol by a company called Debeers in the early 1900’s. They own most of the diamond mines in the world and create their own supply and demand.
Qw1e TIL by 1932, Mickey Mouse had lost his edge since becoming a role model for children. Disney wanted to create a character to portray more negative character traits, which could no longer be bestowed on Mickey. That’s when Disney started working on a short-tempered character named Donald Duck.
awvgM TIL that the longest ship ever built, the Seawise Giant, is longer than the Empire State Building is tall. The ship could reach up to 20 mph and it took 5.5 miles to stop from that speed and the ship had a 2 mile turning circle.
wdLM TIL there is a school in Moscow whose mission is to enable Russian women to snag rich husbands. Part of the curriculum includes “strengthening and toning the muscles using special equipment — a kind of gym for the vagina.”
Eg8rW TIL that the record for the longest gap between release and reaching number one on the Billboard charts was set by the Mariah Carey song "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which first reached number one in the United States 25 years after its release.