› added 9 years ago

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TIL that since 1985 the government of Saudi Arabia has destroyed about 95% of the holy city of Mecca in order to make way for the construction of hotels, apartments, parking lots, etc. There are now less than 20 structures that date back to the period of Muhammad.

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via reddit.com

XJOD TIL that during the Mexican-American war an estimated 700 Irish men deserted the US Army to join the Mexicans and fought in the Battle of Churubusco. The were called Batallón de San Patricio (St. Patricks battalion) and are considered heroes of Mexico.
J1lLl TIL in 2012, over 2,000 Koreans gathered to watch a single man pitch a tent (a 24-man army tent) after he claimed on an internet forum that he could do it in under two hours. The event grew so large it even attracted corporate sponsers. The man succeeded, taking about an hour to accomplish the task.
wL6DJ TIL that food companies learned from the 1990 Perrier Water debacle how not to do a recall after discovering product contamination.
W7od TIL Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate than the USA
E1Jlo TIL when children get “growing pains” it’s not actually a side effect of growth, it’s more likely caused by muscle overuse during the day.