› added 11 months ago

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TIL that the spinning, animated icon to indicate that something on your screen is loading is called a "Throbber"

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rNXk0 TIL that the Republic of Venice ruled colonies throughout the Eastern Mediterranean from the end of the first millennium to 1797, at times including Crete, Cyprus and numerous Greek islands.
xVk5 TIL that in 1994 a stimulant was synthesised that can keep you awake for 48hrs at a time, without the need for catchup sleep and minimal side effects. It is only prescribed for narcolepsy but it has been suggested that it is used in the military to keep soldiers awake.
6EjmJ TIL that a 1964 earthquake liquified the glacial soil around Valdez, Alaska, causing an underwater landslide and tsunami. Roughly half the town (including the soil it was built on) was washed out to sea. The current site of the city is 4 miles away.
p8gdO TIL the smallest state forest in New York measures 348 square feet and contains the stump of only a single tree that was cut down in 2015.
VBAwD TIL the British colonial regime in India criminalised entire communities under the 'Criminal Tribes Act'. The law subjected millions to arrest, resettlement and hard labour, often based on their nomadic or impoverished background.