› added 8 years ago

192

TIL that Key West once declared itself a micro-nation named the Conch Republic, declared war against the United States, surrendered after one minute, and then requested $1 billion in foreign aid from the U.S. federal government.

Read more conchrepublic.com

via reddit.com

QJMYp TIL every major vehicle flown from Cape Canaveral has been wired with a remote explosive destruct system to be used if the vehicle should travel off course and towards populated areas
wLPOJ TIL the phrase "no strings attached” is directly tied to 18th century fabric merchants who would mark flaws in woven cloth by tying small strings to the bottom of the bolts at the locations where flaws were present.
kWe7 TIL a former governor of Alaska proposed building a pipeline from Alaska to California, to pump fresh water, not oil.
69PK8 TIL Soil solarization is a small scale means of pest control. Covering the ground with a transparent sheet of polyethylene can heat soil to 35-60 C (95-140 F), which kills pathogens upto 30 cm deep in the soil and can promote healthy microbe growth.
0wPp1 TIL In China, Santa Claus is often depicted with a saxophone and no-one seems to know why