› added 3 years ago

80

TIL the Netherlands does not have stray dogs.

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jNQlv TIL that Evel Knieval’s last leap in the Spotlight was a jaws-inspired gimmick that would help spawn the phrase “jumping the shark,” implying that somebody’s or something’s best days are behind them.
yVvnl TIL that a solar storm in 1859 was so powerful that it caused telegraph lines to catch fire, and people could read newspapers at night by the aurora borealis.
OG4w6 TIL with the exception of one who committed suicide, every spy Nazi Germany sent to Britain during WWII was converted to the British side, with many turning themselves in. They were used to dispell false information to the Germans about troop movements and V-2 missile accuracy.
6Z5l TIL that the Plague solved an overpopulation problem in 14th century Europe. In the aftermath wages increased, rent decreased, wealth was more evenly distributed, diet improved and life expectancy increased.
xmw5 TIL there’s a version of chess called “quantum chess” where the pieces are in a state of superposition; the player doesn’t know what a piece will be until it is selected for play. Once selected, it behaves as any one of the conventional pieces and returns to its state of superposition after the move