› added 4 years ago

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TIL of a sea sponge that has a skeleton made of glass which has better strength, flexibility and fracture resistance than manufactured optic fibre.

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rR8Dy TIL that Benkos Bioho, an African king that was captured and taken to South America, helped create a way to use braids to convey maps and messages. This stopped his captors from finding out his and his peers' plans. Some braids represented escape and certain roads while others held gold and seeds.
4XYMg TIL a bridge in Ireland that was designed to swing open for ships couldn't be opened for four years because someone lost the remote control
0wNV1 TIL in 2000 Portugal decriminalized ALL drugs. If police find someone w/a supply larger than 10 days worth of personal use they aren’t arrested but brought before a “dissuasion panel” made up of experts who evaluate the person & prescribe treatment. both HIV infections & deaths by OD have plummeted.
wLjKY TIL that America has an infrastructure grade of a D. Records report that the grade hasn’t changed since 2013 but hopes to see improvements by 2025
GY8Jj TIL seven journalists were the pallbearers for Lee Harvey Oswald because no mourners were on hand except for his immediate family.