› added 9 years ago

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TIL “Huh” is the universal word, say linguists. “Huh” is not innate (other primates don’t say it), but the circumstances of its use (needing to quickly and briefly prompt another speaker to repeat herself) are universal, so languages that share no commonalities still converged on this word.

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BYAx TIL American bars first began offering complimentary hard-boiled eggs in the mid-1800s. The idea was to give customers sustenance so they wouldn’t become sloppy drunks, and at the same time making the customers thirsty so they would order more drinks
6lVm TIL That Day light saving has no effect on the state’s energy consumption. And a study in Indiana showed that DST actually increased energy demand, presumably because of an increased need for air conditioning.
GADlE TIL if you fill your lungs with 100% oxygen you can safely go ~8 minutes without breathing
9YRaQ TIL: Asbestos is not banned in the US. It’s still imported raw and sold in consumer goods.
dDWLB TIL that a Blink Comparator is a mechanical device for visually comparing two similar images. In 1930, it was instrumental in the discovery of Pluto.