› added 5 years ago

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TIL the spice Paprika is made from ground up red Bell Peppers.

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LQVNQ TIL Pachucas were Mexican American women who wore zoot suits during the 1930s-40s, a sign of rebellion due to fabric rationing for the war effort. Their look included thinly-plucked eyebrows, dark lipstick and wearing their hair styled into a pompadour, in which they kept razor blades.
wL9g6 TIL that the last CIA station chief in Vietnam sent the final telegram that read "This will be final message from Saigon station... It has been a long fight and we have lost..." before he evacuated on May 1, 1975
ZpRPQ TIL that Gymnocalycium cacti have an incredible survival strategy for enduring long droughts in their native South American grasslands and rocky areas: they can shrink and bury themselves partially into the soil, reducing exposure to the harsh environment until rain returns
VMrj8 TIL: Evapotranspiration or "corn sweat" can contribute to humidity. When it's already hot, push water out through tiny holes in their leaves called stomata. The water evaporates into gas. Full fields, especially where there are many fields of corn, can actually raise the dew point.
O1xe TIL Ancient Babylonians had a sophisticated understanding of astronomy and were even able to track planets such as Jupiter with mathematical precision.