› added 3 years ago

150

TIL that Attila the Hun traveled so far and wide that there is even an early Viking poem from the 9th century (called an Edda), a revenge poem, that chronicles the apocryphal adventure of two Viking brothers who visit Attila's home, steal all his wealth and burn down his kingdom.

b9rQ TIL that since 1988, all U.S. presidential debates have been controlled by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Commission is a corporation owned 50% Democrat, 50% Republican, making it extremely unlikely that a 3rd party candidate will ever speak in any such debate.
VMR7p TIL In 2007, seeds were found frozen below the permafrost. Thought to have been buried by Arctic ground squirrels around 31,500 to 32,300 years ago in the Ice Age. Out of 600,000 seeds, three embryos successfully germinated into plants. Currently the oldest confirmed viable seeds on Earth.
w1B8 TIL Comedian Spike Milligan’s wish to have his tomb stone read “I told you I was ill” was refused by the Chichester diocese. They compromised and wrote the same epitaph in Irish.
GYOl1 TIL: In order to get improvements in their job security amidst the emergence of a rival bus line, bus drivers in Okayama, Japan decided to go on strike in a unique way in 2018. While on strike, they supported the community by continuing to drive their routes, but simply not charging customers.
YNNx TIL the Event Horizon Telescope not only took the first photos of a black hole, it’s powerful enough to count the stitches on a baseball 8,000 miles away.