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50

TIL that neutron star mergers can produce anywhere between 3 and 13 Earth masses of gold

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N7d98 TIL that the tensile strength of plated bamboo cables is as strong as or stronger than a steel cable of the same size. Hemp rope loses 20% of its strength when wet while bamboo cables increase in strength by as much as 20% when wet.
lLgV TIL in 2012 a charity dropped off boxes in a remote African village containing Xoom tablets with no instructions. Within 4 minutes a child turned one on. Within 5 days, kids were using 47 apps per child, per day. Within 2 weeks they were singing ABC songs. Within 5 months they had hacked Android.
yQeRM San Francisco is known for tech bros, a prison island, and, of course, its thick, ever-present, fog. An image submitted to National Geographic’s Travel Photographer of the Year contest shows that iconic fog in action, as it slowly envelops a whole Bay Area town.
Br5vk TIL since 8-track tapes have a loop-play function, where after the end the tape is played from the beginning once again, the 8-track version of the Pink Floyd album "Animals" was changed for playing on repeat - a guitar solo connecting the first and the last song on the album was added.
9V9r TIL ‘Burglary’ specifically referred to breaking into a house at night. During the daytime it was called housebreaking.