› added 4 years ago

494

TIL that the Richter scale, used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake, is logarithmic, meaning every whole-number increase in the scale indicates a tenfold increase in the intensity.

Read more science.howstuffworks.com

via reddit.com

9YO8m TIL viruses are considered by some to be a life form, although they lack key characteristics that are generally considered necessary to count as life. Because they possess some but not all such qualities, viruses have been described as "organisms at the edge of life."
kLAg TIL that Thomas Jefferson proposed in 1784 to end slavery in all the territories, but his bill lost in Congress by one vote.
DQn4v TIL by simply paying off the Mexican Navy, bucheros, or the local illegal fisherman, have reduced the smallest dolphin in the world, vaquita marina, to a number of 8. Many believe the animal is just a myth.
WrKN TIL that in 1897, Indiana tried to pass a bill which implied that the value of PI was simply 3.2
wL1eE TIL only 128 people in the United States are licensed to fly blimps