› added 2 years ago

65

TIL about the Schienenzeppelin, a train powered by a rear-mounted propeller similar to a helicopter, capable of reaching 140 km/h (87 mph). Designed in 1930s Germany, it was intended to be a futuristic mode of transportation but never entered service due to technical issues and WWII

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

X0MdX TIL U.S President Lyndon B. Johnson used to give out toothbrushes with the Presidential Seal on them. He said he wanted people to think of him last thing at night and first thing in the morning.
yRjl TIL Raccoons were able to open 11 of 13 complex locks in fewer than 10 tries and had no problems repeating the action when the locks were rearranged or turned upside down. They can also remember the solutions to tasks for up to 3 years.
0GQy TIL that on Nov. 28, 2013, comet ISON will fly through the sun’s atmosphere little more than a million km from the stellar surface. If the comet survives without breaking up it could emerge glowing as brightly as the Moon, visible near the sun in broad daylight.
d8XRd TIL in 1941, the world's largest seed bank (created by botanist Nikolai Vavilov) was housed in Leningrad. As the Germans surrounded the city causing massive starvation, Vavilov's scientists refused to eat from the collection, slowly dying of hunger as they maintained 16 rooms of edible plants.
yVrwa TIL About the “Flynn effect reversal”. The Flynn effect refers to the observed rise in IQ scores throughout the 20th century, but in the last few decades, some research indicates that this trend has reversed in certain regions, particularly in Western countries.