› added 4 years ago

177

TIL the inspiration for Zorro was an early 1600s Irishman called William Lamport, referred to in Mexico as Don Guillén de Lampart. He was a bond-esque social chamelion, and at one point attempted to overthrow the Spanish Government with the support of many native, creole, and Black Mexicans.

Read more historyireland.com

via reddit.com

d8KZZ TIL the trap or 'bend' in pipes is used to block off hazardous gasses from entering buildings.
E64p TIL that in 1962 the US government planned for the CIA to commit perceived acts of terrorism in U.S. cities. These acts of terrorism were to be blamed on Cuba in order to create public support for a war against the country, which had recently become communist.
E1mVX TIL of the lowland streaked tenrec, a black hedgehog-like creature with yellow-striped quills native to Madagascar. Despite its similar physiology, it is unrelated to hedgehogs, instead acting as an example of convergent evolution. It is sometimes referred to as a "fake hedgehog"
N7Qw1 TIL about Alkaline hydrolysis (water cremation) where a body is heated in a mix of water and potassium hydroxide down to its chemical components, which are then disposed of through the sewer, or as a fertilizer. This method takes 1/4 of the energy of heat cremation with less resulting pollutants.
m1eGy TIL that Triton, Neptune's largest moon, was discovered by English astronomer William Lassell in 1846. It’s big enough to be rounded by its own gravity, has a thin atmosphere, and is the only large moon in the Solar System that orbits opposite to its planet’s rotation.