› added 10 years ago

89

TIL that the French military actually has the best military record in the world having won 723 of the 1211 battles they fought in the last 800 years

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

e0Xrg TIL that the fastest wind speed ever measured from a tornadic storm is 301 MPH, which was set in 1999 during the Bridge Creek-Moore EF5 Tornado.
p8NvA TIL about HERA, a telescope searching for the oldest stars in the universe, from a period known as the Cosmic Dark Ages. And it is built from stuff you could buy at any local hardware store. "This is the beauty of low frequency radio astronomy: one doesn’t need custom, expensive hardware."
QJLye TIL that at his last session with Pink Floyd Syd Barrett wrote a new song called "Have You Got It Yet?" Seemingly easy at first, the song quickly became impossible to learn as Barrett changed the arrangement every take. Eventually, the band realized it was an elaborate joke by the deranged Barrett.
Mea5V TIL of the Pylos Combat Agate, an engraved stone from the Aegean Bronze Age. It is 1.3 in (3.4 cm) and depicts two warriors in hand-to-hand combat. Despite its size, it is incredibly detailed and shows a breadth of anatomical knowledge. Similar art would not be seen again until 1000 years later.
j6R1M TIL Shanghai Maglev train has a maximum cruising speed of 431 km/h (268 mph), making it the fastest train service in commercial operation. It takes about 4 minutes to reach max speed.