› added 8 years ago

150

TIL in 1962, two American geologists found that a large rock face above a Peruvian town could collapse during an earthquake. The Peruvian government ordered the two to retract their work or face prison. Eight years later, an earthquake collapsed the rock face, killing 20,000 of the town’s residents.

Read more wikipedia.org

via ift.tt

ANxK7 TIL the shortest-lived "empire" in history was a restoration of the Qing Dynasty of China lasting for 11 days in July 1917. Monarchists seized Beijing and reinstated Emperor Puyi, deposed five years prior and now eleven years old, on July 1 and were pushed back out by Republican forces on July 12.
W7RMd TIL about the White Revolution, a sweeping -- and mostly successful -- program to modernize Iran. One element of it ended feudalism and gave farms to the farmers, but many of them ended up worse off than they were under feudalism. This caused a domino effect that led to the Islamic Revolution.
KOOgG TIL that despite being the 23rd most populated country, the UK's rail network is the 5th most used in the world. Also, unlike comparable countries, its rail use continues to grow and 'improve'.
R7Mv9 TIL there is a phenomenon in the UK called TV Pickup, during which an electrical surge/strain occurs as millions of people watching the same television programs all use their bathrooms or open their refrigerators at the same time during commercial breaks.
nWKd7 TIL of barnacles - marine arthropods which - after a point in their life-cycle - live permanently attached to substrate - this is problematic, since they reproduce sexually - a penis of up to eight times their body length! - resolves this issue, allowing them to mate across vast distances.