› added 5 years ago

84

TIL that France suffered from demographic stagnation through the 19th century. While Germany and the UK increased their population by 60% and 54%, France grew only by 8%. If France had the same population growth as England, it's current population would've been over 150 million people.

gax4 TIL That there is a 1500km band of land in Namibia covered in unexplained “Fairy Circles” that appear to grow and also die. Scientists have studied the area for over 30 years and still do not know their cause.
OGD7g TIL that Beverly Hills, California, derives its name from Beverly Farms, Massachusetts. The latter, in turn, was named after the town of Beverley in Yorkshire, England, which originated from "Beverlac" in the 10th century, signifying "beaver lake" due to the abundance of beavers in the nearby river.
0oDM TIL: Jean-Claude Van Damme’s epic Volvo split commercial was done in one shot… without practice.
j6GdQ TIL in the 1960s, NASA developed the Maximum Absorbency Garment (MAG) for astronauts, incorporating superabsorbent polymers to help manage bodily fluids and solids during space missions. The technology inspired the highly absorbent materials used in modern disposable diapers.
7BWX TIL that DeForest Kelley disliked repeating Dr. McCoy’s catchphrase “He’s dead, Jim”, which appears 20 times in the original Star Trek series. It became so famous, however, that he joked that the line would appear on his tombstone. It did appear in the first sentence of Kelley’s obituary.