› added 10 years ago

219

TIL that during nuclear testing in Los Alamos in the ‘50s, an underground test shot a 2-ton steel manhole cover into the atmosphere at 41 miles/second. It was never found.

Read more nuclearweaponarchive.org

via reddit.com

yQX5v TIL that when an explosion's shockwave travels slower than sound, it is considered a deflagration, not a detonation.
9wk7Q TIL tomb raiding is a big problem in China that looters sometimes find historically significant sites first. For instance the tomb of the famed 3 Kingdoms-era general, Cao Cao, was discovered in 2008 after police inspected the stolen goods of a bunch of robbers, who then led them to an unknown tomb.
Vaw8 TIL that in 2012 when Taylor Swift held a public vote for where she would visit and preform a free concert 4chan users voted for a childrens school for the deaf and won the vote.
7r1lL TIL that Mary, Queen of Scots was 5' 11" (1.8m) tall in an age when 5' 4" (1.63m) was considered tall for a woman.
yQZWV TIL Serbian artist Uroš Predić made a painting of drunks in his village returning home from the pub at dawn. He hoped the painting would convince them to change their ways but instead they ended up loving it. Some even complimented how accurate it was.