› added 1 week ago

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TIL: The original Roman calendar had only 10 months, starting in March and ending in December, with no winter months. We still see traces of it today: September (7th month), October, November, and December (10th) reflect their original positions before January and February were added later.

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via reddit.com

e0WYJ TIL that bears get tapeworms from eating the salmon. They often extrude from the bear’s backside and can trail behind them for up ten feet.
kO0OW TIL that western mathematicians did not accept negative numbers for over 18 centuries. They treated them as absurd solutions to equations.
M7L8b TIL in order to reduce drag at transonic speeds, NASA and airliners have begun experimenting with very high aspect wings (like those found on gliders) using braces stabilize them and save weight.
JY0ll TIL iguanas go into shock, drop from trees and lay there until the temperature rises enough to give them energy again.
LkDAP TIL that Charles Darwin's pet tortoise died at 176 years old in 2006, whilst Darwin himself died in 1882.