› added 4 years ago

108

TIL The ritual of releasing doves in the Olympics originated in 1896. The ritual was altered to be purely symbolic after the doves released in the 1988 Seoul Olympics landed on the Olympic Torch and were burnt alive when it was lit.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

w8RM TIL there are homeless shelters called Wet Houses that allow alcoholics to drink, rather than requiring abstinence, and they seem to work
0wKb1 TIL that the reason the US refrigerates eggs and other countries don’t is that the U.S had multiple outbreaks of salmonella in the 20th century and now requires all grocery eggs to be washed. Washing removes a protective layer on eggs that keeps them fresh longer.
6VZ TIL Elizabeth Taylor suffered from a rare genetic mutation, distichiasis, that resulted in double rows of eyelashes and that usually has horrible complications.
ja1j TIL: one of the reasons America has Electoral College is because James Madison was worried about “tyranny of the majority”, which involves a scenario in which a majority places its own interests above those of a minority group.
6E4YQ TIL about Paricutin, a 1,400 foot volcano that formed over the course of a 9 year eruption from 1942-1951. Before the volcano formed, the land was flat farmland, and just before formation there were hundreds of earthquakes and farmers reported hearing thunder even though the skies were clear.