› added 11 years ago

91

TIL even though abortion is legal and not murder, murdering a pregnant woman is a double homicide.

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oBWGr TIL of ablaut reduplication, an unwritten English rule that makes "tick-tock" sound normal, but not "tock-tick". When repeating words, the first vowel is always an I, then A or O. "Chit chat" not "chat chit"; "ping pong" not "pong ping", etc. It's unclear why this rule exists, but it's never broken
PwZw TIL there are fish that can induce LSD-like hallucinations when eaten. The effects can last several days and are known as “the chief of ghosts” in Hawaii and “the fish that makes dreams” in Arabic.
OojZX TIL about Stephen C. Sillett, the first ever scientist to explore the canopies of the old growth giant redwood forests
VM0Jk TIL Emma Lazarus' sonnet The New Colossus, which says, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free" was written for & donated to an auction to raise funds to build the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. 16 years after her death, a plaque with her words was installed
x6aGk TIL that "Niels Bohr" assumed the name "Nicholas Baker" while working on the Manhattan Project