› added 6 years ago

211

TIL that Pirates may have worn eye-patches in order to have one of their eyes already adapted to darkness for when they go below deck.

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x67N1 TIL about the kingdom of Albania, a state located in the Caucasus in ancient times
QNKr6 TIL that in China there is a village called Houtouwan that has been "swallowed" by nature. It's located on the island of Shengshan, and in its heyday it was inhabited by three thousand families.
QJLX TIL that because of breeding, corn as we know it today would not survive in the wild. It would become extinct if human agriculture and farms ceased to exist.
neZvo TIL there is a disease known as "fatal insomnia" which prevents you from ever falling asleep. This leads to hallucinations, panic attacks and eventually, death.
OoOWY TIL that in 1969, the Penn Central Railroad Co. planned to build a tower on top of Grand Central which would have required removal of a portion of the station's facade. The NYC Landmark Preservation Commission rejected the design, leading to a landmark Supreme Court "takings-clause"case in 1978.