› added 6 years ago

203

TIL that the word "conundrum" was probably made up as a joke by a student at Oxford in the 16th century.

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via reddit.com

e05Bb TIL that some countries (Russia, Norway, Eastern Europe) clap in rhythmic unison to express approval and enjoyment, as opposed to random clapping
QJbDL TIL "Nearly 75 percent of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today" due to recycling
aw4Wy TIL that the pirate Benjamin Hornigold once raided a merchant ship just to steal the hats from the ship's crew because his crew had gotten too drunk the night before and had thrown their hats overboard.
Vk7k TIL that the Netherlands are in the process of building “Smart Highways” which will have glow in the dark lane markings, symbols that illuminate the road when adverse conditions appear and an electric priority lane which will charge electric cars as they drive - set to be ready for service mid 2013.
xVPJB TIL that there is a part of Mount Everest known as the Rainbow Valley. It is named not because there are rainbows there, but because of the brightly-colored jackets on the frozen corpses that litter the valley.