› added 5 years ago

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TIL that Alice Huyler Ramsey was the first woman to drive coast-to-coast across the USA in 1909. The 22-year-old housewife and mother completed the 3,800-mile journey from New York to San Francisco in a green Maxwell 30. The 59-day trek took 3-weeks longer than planned & 96% of the route was unpaved

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via reddit.com

pYJbZ TIL why insects circle lights at night: They evolved to become masters of flight by relying on the brightest thing they see — the sky — to know which way is up and keep their back toward it. At night, they confuse artificial light for the sky, ending up trapped in a cycle trying to stay orientated.
OmBX TIL that 7 of the top 10 drunkest US cities are located in Wisconsin, and Wisconsin lays host to 12 of the top 20 drunkest cities.
GAyW5 TIL that the Tower of Babel was built to avoid a second flood by the descendants of Noah, who all spoke a single language. As a result, they were punished by being scattered and made to speak different languages, so they could no longer understand each other.
168gV TIL in the 1920s AT&T built a "telephone pole farm" in Chester Township, New Jersey to test different types of trees and protectant methods. It was also a training ground for technicians to practice climbing.
mJQp TIL that in 1951 the managing director of Guinness Breweries became involved in an argument over which was the fastest game bird in Europe (the golden plover or the grouse). He was unable to confirm the answer using reference books of the time. Shortly after, the Guinness World Records were born.