› added 11 years ago

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TIL sand from the Sahara is blown by the wind all the way to the Amazon, recharging its minerals. The desert literally fertilizes the rainforest.

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8LAb TIL That a trucking company got over 900 speeding tickets, another 500 tickets for ignoring stop signs and other signals, and killed 32 people in just 24 months. Yet they are rated “satisfactory” by the agency that oversees transport.
Oj8g TIL there is a shade of blue that can’t be detected by graphics arts cameras, which layout editors use to write/draw notes directly on the thing they’re editing
NJQ TIL that Kansas was “scientifically proven” to be flatter than a pancake.
4XDdb TIL: At the end of the Buddy Holly song, "I'm Gonna Love You Too," there's a live cricket chirp that can be heard on the recording. Holly and the group decided to leave it in the song as it was on beat, and his band has only months earlier decided to call themselves The Crickets.
6EvmX TIL that snakes have forked tongues to be able to smell in three dimensions. By picking up odours from slightly different locations they are able to tell the direction and source of the smell.