› added 1 year ago

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Today I learned that “Stiltsville” was a group of houses on stilts off the coast of Miami, FL. Founded towards the end of the prohibition, it had a reputation of alcohol, gambling, and partying. Most houses were destroyed by hurricanes, but some are still standing today.

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4Owg TIL that one bear - Bart, a 9'6’’ Kodiak - starred in dozens of Hollywood films opposite the likes of Dan Aykroyd, Anthony Hopkins, Annette Bening, Ethan Hawke, Gregory Peck, and John Candy. His biopic was narrated by Brad Pitt, with whom he worked in Legends of the Fall
pYPZZ TIL Most people don't dream about their smartphones because our dreams are an evolved defense mechanism, we tend to dream more often about fears and concerns that were relevant to our ancestors — so, less about, say, hacking, and more about running from wild animals
4k6Og TIL that It is believed that the idea of a ladder was used over 10,000 years ago. Cave paintings of them were discovered in a cave in Spain. Whoever invited the first ladder is still unknown.
nWn19 TIL that in WWI, the Swiss built extensive bunkers and observation posts at "Kilometre Zero", where the Western Front's trenches ended right at their border. In 1914, fighting between French and German forces took place only metres away from neutral Swiss soil and observers.
b9kZ0 TIL: NASCAR is rooted in Prohibition bootlegging. They souped up stock cars to outrun the police and that led to competitive racing between gangs.