› added 7 years ago

97

TIL that there was an "ugly law" that deemed it illegal for persons who were "unsightly" or "unseemly" to appear in public.

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OpNa TIL 350 million years ago, when the newly evolved trees were just 1 foot in height, the landscape was dominated by giant 20 foot tall mushrooms
loL7K TIL about Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier, won in a poker game, who served in World War II, attained the rank of Corporal, completed twelve combat missions, was awarded eight battle stars, had a custom parachute, and who single pawedly saved 250 airmen....
7rOjP TIL In Maori mythology in New Zealand, there is a story of a land called Hawaiki that their ancestors came from. Some have speculated this to be Hawaii, a journey of 4600 miles.
Lk8nP TIL: for the Platypus there is no universally agreed plural term in English. Platypodes conforms with the greek origin word platupous meaning "flat footed", while Platypi, Platypusses, or Platypus for both singular & plural, are also used.
p8vJp TIL The inventor of the PSA test, taken by over 30 million American men yearly to detect prostate cancer, called it a "profit-driven public health disaster". He also stated that the test is "hardly more effective than a coin toss".