› added 6 years ago

68

TIL France lost more soldiers in WW1 than the US has in its entire military history

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

D1Kwv TIL barn owls are often mistaken for aliens. The incredible birds have a series of spooky-looking adaptations that help them survive and thrive in the wild, including long legs under all those feathers.
R5vJa TIL that during WWII the German army developed an amphibious automobile called the Volkswagen Schwimmwagen. It had a top speed of 50MPH and 4 wheel drive only in first gear. Of the 15,000+ Schwimmwagens, only 186 are still around and are sought after by VW enthusiasts.
XrQQ TIL: The Lead Masks Case refers to the discovery of the bodies of two electronic technicians in Brazil in 1966. The bodies were found in a field wearing impermeable coats and lead masks. Even stranger was the discovery of a small notebook beside the bodies with signs and numbers
Me9r8 [TIL] Microbiologists recreated a 1,000-year-old onion and garlic eye remedy which kills staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA.
W71E9 TIL about the worst shark attack in recorded history. The U.S.S. Indianapolis sank leaving 900 floating in the water with only 317 surviving. The estimated killed directly by sharks ranges between 36-150 sailors.