› added 8 years ago

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TIL that the urge to sneeze when looking at a light source is actually a genetic trait called “Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-ophthalmic Outburst” or ‘ACHOO’ and afflicts up to 35% of the world’s population.

Read more bbc.com

via reddit.com

WelY TIL on the set of the ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ TV show, while the crew was moving a neon-orange mannequin prop, one of the mannequin’s arms broke off revealing it was a human body. The body was identified as Elmer McCurdy, a criminal who had robbed a train and died in a shoot-out with police.
NXvZM TIL conservatives are healthier than liberals because they have a greater sense of personal responsibility
M01W TIL when Soviet geologist discovered a cavern with natural gas, they decided to burn it off so it wouldn’t harm anybody, Expecting it to take a few days. Four decades later it stills burns, locals refer to it as the “Door to Hell”.
R7KMQ TIL that up to 1,500 raccoons were imported to Japan as pets each year after the success of the anime series Rascal the Raccoon (1977). In 2004, the descendants of discarded or escaped animals lived in 42 of 47 prefectures.
MejpK TIL that snipe hunting is a real thing. Snipe are waterfowl that overwinter in marshes, bogs and wet meadows. They are notoriously difficult to hunt and the word "snipe" is the etymological root of the word "sniper" we use today.