› added 11 years ago

86

TIL that Chinese armed forces use crossbows at all unit levels to stop persons carrying explosives without risk of causing detonation.

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KlvR TIL Chromecast’s model number is “H2G2-42”, a reference to the answer to life, the universe, and everything, from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
pY0KG TIL that the Uranus Fudge Factory is a real place and not just a joke from memes.
kb14 TIL that scientists have discovered why some people can thrive on less sleep than others. A particular gene variant is responsible, and those with it can also handle extended periods of sleeplessness better.
P00g TIL: Alexander the Great strongly promoted shaving during his reign in the 4th century BCE to avoid “dangerous beard-grabbing in combat”, and because he believed it looked tidier.
4XPW6 TIL Lake Tahoe at one time was named Lake Bigler in honor of the popular third governor of California. However, once it was revealed that Bigler was a Confederate sympathizer during the US Civil War, his name was removed from the lake and renamed Tahoe