› added 13 years ago

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TIL the “butterflies in your stomach” feeling is from blood being pulled from the stomach and redirected into your muscles.

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Wkak8 TIL that the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) sect of Judaism and the Quaker sect of Christianity are both named after the exact same word (Isaiah 66:2): "Yet to such a one I look: To the poor and brokenhearted, who 'quakes' (חָרֵד in the original Hebrew, pronounced 'hared') before my word"
ANQAn TIL Due to the occupation of Portugal by Napoleonic forces, the Portuguese ruling class fled to Brazil with Rio de Janeiro functioning as the capital of the Portuguese Empire. The move allowed unprecedented growth and development to the city, and helped lay the foundation of Brazilian independence.
yRyM TIL Sunburn is not caused by your skin cells being damaged by the Sun and dying. Rather it’s their DNA being damaged and the cells then killing themselves so they don’t turn into cancer
5VwPD TIL that Robert Hooke has been called “England’s Leonardo.” He discovered microorganisms and a law of elasticity; observed the rotation of planets; revolutionized city planning; and presaged theories of optics, gravity, and evolution.
j6ZYa TIL Dogs can see color, but only in shades of blue and yellow. Because dogs can only see two colors, they have dichromatic vision. They can also see shades of gray. Colors such as red, orange, and green are out of a dog's color spectrum, so these colors are not visible to dogs.