› added 9 years ago

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TIL the reason cats flex (also called kneading) their claws when sitting on your lap is due to a behavior from when it was a kitten. The kitten has to flex its claws around the mothers nipple in order to get it to start lactating. In adulthood its just re triggered from being nurtured

jN54n TIL Joe Walsh's Maserati 5000 GT couldn't do 185 (closer to 170) mph, but the top speedometer marking is 300 kph (186 mph). It was impounded by Austrailian authorities after being inspected for the presence of asbestos. Also, each 5000 GT had a custom body so each one is unique. Links in comments.
WldA TIL that when smoking was allowed on aircraft, engineers used nicotine stains on the outside of planes to detect microscopic cracks in the fuselage. Now that smoking is banned, these cracks have become much more difficult to detect.
e0pDb TIL of Pete Goss, A single handed sailor who sailed two days in hurricane force winds and 30ft waves to rescue another competitor. Nursed him back to health while sailing two weeks to land, then went back to finish the Vendee Globe race.
WOpB TIL that Martin Luther King Jr’s assassin, James Earl Ray was once erroneously honoured during a parade which intended to praise the actor James Earl Jones. Lauderdale, Florida accidentally created a plaque in January 2002 which read ‘Thanks James Earl Ray for keeping the dream alive’.
E1W0x TIL that dog obesity is positively correlated with owner obesity. This effect is only seen in dogs and not cats. The study suggests that this correlation can be attributed to obese owners walking their dogs less. No explanation other than neutering is given for the variation in weight among cats.