› added 7 years ago

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TIL Netherlands closed 19 prisons last year due to the lack of criminals

Read more independent.co.uk

via reddit.com

l7Gea TIL the term "canary" in software deployment comes from coal miners who used actual canaries as early warning systems. Miners took these birds underground since they're extremely sensitive to toxic gases like carbon monoxide. If the canary fell ill or died, it was a signal for miners to evacuate.
8aAjV TIL conservationists in South Africa have been injecting rhino horns with red dyes and toxins to prevent poaching. The mixture renders the horn completely useless to those trying to sell it commercially and is also toxic for human consumption.
P1aYG TIL of the K-ships -- a class of armed blimps used by the US Navy during WW2 for anti-submarine warfare operations against German U-boats. Only one K-ship was lost due to enemy action when the K-74 was shot down by machine gun fire from the submarine U-134 on the night of the 18th of July 1943
4XbjX TIL about Dagen H day. On September 3, 1967 Sweden switched from driving on the left-hand side of the road to the right, causing a brief but monumental traffic jam.
oBwkY TIL that the Hostile attribution bias is the tendency to interpret others' behaviors as having hostile intent, even when the behavior is ambiguous or benign.