› added 11 years ago

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TIL Supermassive Black Holes in the centers of galaxies can be 11 times bigger than Neptune’s entire orbit, and spin at almost the speed of light.

Read more news.nationalgeographic.com

via reddit.com

5JpB TIL that a third string catcher, Moe Berg, toured Japan with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1934 while working as a US spy. Berg spoke 12 languages and eventually spied on the Nazis during WWII. When presented the report to the president, Roosevelt responded “Give my regards to the catcher.”
VBwdZ TIL Cheetos were designed to be addictive. A 2013 investigation found that Frito-Lay spent $30 million a year on 500 chemists and psychologists to attain the perfect mix of crunchiness, aroma, and "mouth feel." They melt in the mouth immediately, tricking the brain into thinking it hasn't eaten much
VJ04 TIL new research indicates the asteroid that killed the Dinosaurs did so, not primarily due to dust blocking out the sun, but by ejecting ~500 cubic miles of tiny glass spherules at near escape velocity. Upon falling to earth they incinerated nearly all surface life in a matter of minutes.
RoA8 TIL in 1983, a small town in Missouri was permanently evacuated after high levels of dioxin was discovered in soil samples. It was discovered that a man hired to oil the dirt roads to keep dust down had used waste from a company making Agent Orange.
KO7Vw TIL that in 2002 Joe Strummer (former frontman for The Clash) was vacationing in L.A. and found out Johnny Cash was in town recording. He came every day, and extended his vacation another week, to watch him play. They recorded Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" together, with Tom Morello on guitar.