› added 12 years ago

381

TIL Wikitravel specifically warns visitors to Kazakhstan not to mention Borat.

Read more wikitravel.org

via reddit.com

15JD TIL Most of the gold that is present today in the Earth’s crust and mantle was delivered to Earth by asteroid impacts
kOxZe TIL that the steel used in MRI machines, geiger counters and other radiation detecting gear is primarily sourced from German WWI battleships, scuttled in Scapa Flow in 1919 because the steel was made before nuclear bombs were detonated, thus contaminating the air with radionuclides in 1945.
M7mXV TIL Pious III was elected Pope on 22 September 1503 and died only 26 days later. During his election, everyone was aware that he was seriously ill, but electing the neutral Pious helped the two rivaling factions in the conclave to buy just enough time to continue their negotiations and politicking
ZpgPD TIL:The MiG 23 ‘Flogger’ plane had stainless steel structure. There were failures due to design issues & steel not being degassed(melted in vacuum to avoid hydrogen embrittlement). Gen. Mishuk told some Mikoyan OKB folks: "It would’ve been cheaper for the country to make your product from pure gold"
GYnr5 TIL Russia has a monument dedicated to lab rats