› added 12 years ago

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TIL that in 1860 when Julia Pastrana, a woman who was very hairy and had ape like facial features, died, her husband mummified her and their dead baby’s remains to further exploit them at “freak shows.” Julia’s corpse was buried just this year and the baby’s corpse was eaten by mice in 1976.

ADrLg TIL The magnetic north pole moves around 55 kilometres (34 miles) a year. It crossed the international date line in 2017, left the Canadian Arctic and is headed to Siberia. This presents a problem for compasses in smartphones and other electronics.
j6kPN TIL The term “idiot savant” was historically used to describe individuals with significant mental impairments but extraordinary skills in a specific area. Now considered offensive, it has been replaced by “savant syndrome” to focus on their exceptional abilities.
awyJM TIL The French are European Champions at abandoning pets. Between 100,000 and 200,000 pets are abandoned in France every year (60% during summer). In the UK the figure is closer to 16,000 a year. Typical excuses include going on holiday, having a baby, moving house, and new partner with allergies
QJvaa TIL at 17,207 acres (27 square miles) the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is larger than Manhattan & is the 2nd largest airport by land area in the US complete with its own ZIP code.
78yaZ TIL that experts recommend prioritising building resilience in homes and communities against wildfires and smoke over agency strategies suppression strategies (fire retardants and firelines)