› added 10 years ago

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TIL that Iranian government has more American PhD degree holder in ministerial/cabinet position than the United States government.

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via reddit.com

lAJ5 TIL that Tupac was first artist to have an album at number one on the Billboard 200 while in prison
Z8GaQ TIL that the beautiful symmetry of a total solar eclipse happens because —by pure chance— the sun is 400 times larger than the moon, but is also 400 times farther from Earth, making the two bodies appear the exact same size in the sky.
gQr8 TIL Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone, in most versions of lore are considered separate swords.
Broke TIL that once a Queen ant has mated she nips off her wings and uses the energy from the flight muscles and fat reserves to lay her first batch of eggs before eating weeks later. She stores the sperm acquired during her nuptial flight for decades continuing to lay fertilised eggs for her entire life.
dDMaQ TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac.