› added 5 years ago

99

TIL that the word radar is actually an acronym for "radio detection and ranging."

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via reddit.com

arjb TIL Mao Zedong ordered the people of China to kill sparrows because they steal grain. Since sparrows also eat insects, their absence caused a locust epidemic that ravaged crops and killed millions of people.
AJAd TIL if you make $16/hr in 2015, you’ll make more than the Prime Minister of India
16nJD TIL about Gakkou no Kaidan (Ghost Stories), an anime that didn't do well in Japan, so they gave the american dub free reign to do whatever they wanted, and thus they created the most offensive anime dub of all time.
yQm1e TIL in 1961, as the 17th century Swedish war ship Vasa was being lifted from the sea, statue of a runner was found on board, momentarily baffling scientists. It was placed there as prank by Finnish students on their way to party in Stockholm.
yVXvv TIL 18 yr old Dick Van Dyke enlisted in the Air Force during WWII singing and dancing on base in Sherman TX with the hopes of avoiding being sent to fight the Japanese. An impromptu audition at the latrine earned him a permanent announcer gig on base.