› added 13 years ago

121

TIL that, until it was forcibly suppressed during WWI, German was the second most widely spoken language in the USA, with many local governments, schools, and newspapers operating in German.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

N79n6 TIL the US provided Laos with funds and concrete to expand an airport which could serve as a base for US fighter jets during the Vietnam War. But as the funds and concrete arrived before any contract was signed, Laos decided instead to build a memorial to soldiers who died in World War II.
vJW4 TIL that one-third of humanity (including 60% of Europeans and 80% of North Americans) live in such light polluted areas that the Milky Way is not visible at night.
LQVKp TIL during WWI Momčilo Gavrić at the age of 8 lost his entire family to a heinous war crime, he then enlisted in a nearby artillery unit and identified the location of the enemy soldiers that killed his family, then participated in the bombardment that wiped out that entire enemy unit
Rj74 TIL that a steamboat that sank in 1856 was excavated in 1988 under 45 feet of dirt in a field on a farm. Many artifacts were recovered and preserved so well that some of the food was still edible.
LQD9r TIL that "The Men's Underwear Index (MUI)" is a lighthearted economic theory suggesting a link between men's underwear sales and economic health.