› added 4 years ago

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TIL of the 'raising of Chicago'. In the mid-1850s Chicago buildings were raised multiple feet to improve drainage and reduce disease outbreaks

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mxEAP TIL that in 1704, George Psalmanazar, who claimed to be from Taiwan, published a book in Britain about Taiwanese customs. As nothing was known about Taiwan in Europe at the time, his claims (such as that if a Taiwanese woman cheated on her husband, he could legally eat her) were widely believed.
M7M5a TIL that war has two distinct meanings: as a noun it means a state of armed conflict between different countries or groups; as a verb it means engage in a war.
JYmLj TIL That Cockroaches are rapidly developing immunity to pesticides and passing it on to their young. Scientists that foused the roaches with two different pesticides failed to control them, with three, they were able to control the population but not kill.
Eg4ex TIL Penguins have hidden knees that make their legs appear shorter than they actually are. This allows them to swim more efficiently by reducing drag in the water.
OQDL TIL a 1913 storm called the White Hurricane “battered four of the five lakes, killed 250 people, sunk 12 ships and caused $120 million in damage. “It was the most ferocious storm ever recorded on the Great Lakes at that time or since.”