› added 4 months ago

10

TIL, in a 1962 operation known as 'Starfish Prime', the United States detonated a nuclear bomb at high altitude, ~900 miles south of Hawai'i. The electromagnetic pulse from the detonation caused bright auroras to appear in the atmosphere over a large area of the Pacific Ocean.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

dDAkK TIL The most valuable issues of National Geographic are generally those published before 1907. The 1904 issue, its first publication containing images, is almost impossible to find in mint condition
J1XVk TIL about the world's only solar production car, the Light Year 0. It costw about a quarter million euros and has a range of 40 mi/day from solar charging. A replacement, coming 2025, will sell for $40,000.
PY5Bn TIL that when King William IV of the United Kingdom was still a prince, he lived in New York during the American War of Independence. He used to walk around the city unescorted and only started using guards after the British learned about a plot by George Washington to kidnap him.
0dmey TIL Tiny crystals within the ear's jelly-like membrane help maintain balance. If the ear is damaged, these crystals can shift to another part of the ear, causing dizziness and imbalance.
Bgdpd TIL when Marco Polo visited Tibet in the 1270s, he would sometimes be courted by 20 or 30 unmarried women who sought to do pleasure with as many men as possible and receive at least 20 tokens as proof of being desirable for marriage. He wrote “what a fine country that is for young fellows to go to!”