› added 3 weeks ago

16

TIL of the Fata Morgana illusion, a mirage or optical illusion that can make ships or cities appear to float in the sky. The phenomenon is most common in polar regions or over large bodies of water and is caused by the bending of light rays in the atmosphere.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

xPbb TIL In 1955, Jonas Salk chose not to patent his polio vaccine for the betterment of humanity. As a result, he missed out on earning an estimated $7 billion.
epnr4 TIL the first unsuccessful state fair in the country was in Ann Arbor, MI in 1839
JYXQl TIL that, compared to other dog breeds, pit bull terriers "inflict more complex wounds" due to the shape of their mouth and teeth, which is what makes their bites more difficult to treat.
rR8y1 TIL On Nov. 10, 1898, a mob descended on the offices of The Daily Record, a Black-owned newspaper in Wilmington, N.C. Armed men then moved into the streets and opened fire on Black men. The number of people who died ranges from about 60 to as many as 250, according to some estimates.
9w0ZM TIL during the negotiations to end the Spanish-American War, Spain originally rejected the US demand for the whole of the Philippines and wanted to cede only Mindanao or the Sulu Islands. US negotiators responded by proposing to pay $20 million for the whole of the Philippines, which Spain accepted.