› added 8 years ago

273

TIL that leakage from phosphorous bombs dumped into the Baltic sea post-WWII can form pieces that look similar to natural amber deposits. These are sometimes picked up by beachcombers, resulting in serious injury when they eventually ignite.

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via reddit.com

oX1W TIL of Russia’s 2,000 female snipers in WWII including Lyudmila Pavlichenko who had 309 confirmed kills, 36 of which were enemy snipers
groMX TIL - Dry cleaning is very much a wet process, the liquids they use in the washing machines are just solvents instead of water!
xQoD TIL that the company who made Settlers of Catan made a real ‘Cones of Dunshire’ game, after the fictional game Ben Wyatt made up in Parks and Recreation.
OGb6 TIL that a species of bird, the European Magpie, is the only non-mammal to have ever passed a self-recognition test, and has a level of intelligence comparable to that of a chimpanzee.
EgDVw TIL that the blue jay can be beneficial to other birds, as it may chase predatory birds and will scream if it sees a predator within its territory. It has also been known to sound an alarm call when hawks or other dangers are near, and smaller birds often recognize it and hide.