› added 11 years ago

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TIL the word “moot” does not mean “pointless”; rather, it means “up to argument or discussion”.

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yVyXa TIL of ‘Project Pigeon’, a WW2 era US funded attempt to train pigeons to guide bombs to their targets. The pigeons were put inside of the bombs and acted as pilots, repeatedly pecking the target displayed through a lens to keep the bomb on course to the target.
78eAP TIL that after the Great Isaiah Dead Sea Scroll was discovered, scholars found over 2,600 small textual differences between it and the 1,000 year younger Jewish Masoretic Text - but the meaning of the texts remained mostly identical
KQLa TIL that Justin Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, was a thief and drug dealer, before she tried to kill herself by throwing herself in front of a truck. She survived, but was admitted into a mental institution. After her release she fell pregnant and gave birth to Justin - all before she was 18.
J1MM1 TIL despite their strength and size, elephant's backs are not designed to carry weight as their bones actually extend upwards. This puts their spine at risk of 'caving in' when used for work like tourist rides. Left, ex-riding ele with caved-in back; Right, normal dome-shaped back.
wLEEo TIL Creator of the American Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis, spent the rest of her life and wealth campaigning against the holiday feeling it became too commercialized and lost the sentiment behind it.