› added 6 years ago

165

TIL: 90% of the Aral Sea, the 4th largest lake in the world evaporated and is now a desert, mainly due to the Soviet ambition of turning Central Asia into the largest cotton producer in the world.

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WdgL TIL that every single spy that Hitler thought he had in Britain was a double agent under British control.
9Ylrm TIL that in 1976, a giant inflatable pig being used in a Pink Floyd photo shoot broke free and caused all flights at London Heathrow to be grounded and the Royal Air Force to send helicopters to search for it. It landed in a farmer's field unscathed where it scared all of his cows.
wLJ77 TIL The Nation of Islam host their own Dianetics courses certified by the Church Of Scientology.
b9BlN TIL that birds can see the Earth's magnetic field due to the presence of a protein in their retina called Cryptochrome(Cryp4)
WkBRY TIL Lincoln once reviewed 303 death warrants for Santee Dakota Natives convicted of killing farmers. He approved 39. The Governor of Minnesota then told Lincoln he should have approved all of them for more support in 1864 election. Lincoln responded with "I could not afford to hang men for votes"