› added 4 years ago

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TIL that a solar storm in 2012 with a strong Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) missed Earth by nine days. Had the CME hit Earth, it would have inflicted serious damage to worldwide electronic systems and cost up to $2.6 trillion. The recovery time from such a disaster would have been about 4 to 10 years

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vxNB TIL A Russian town was once “besieged” by hungry bears with as many as 30 bears being reported circling the small town
b69p7 TIL President Rutherford B. Hayes remembered in the US mostly for being the first president to lose the popular vote and win the electoral vote, is remembered very fondly in Paraguay for his help in settling a territorial dispute that ensured "its survival as a country"
7r6RX TIL that the US uses customary units of measurement that, prior to 1959, were slightly bigger than the imperial system units. The Mendenhall Order established a set conversion rate between the US and metric systems, causing discrepancies with the imperial system over time.
4vVw TIL Because of South Park’s Scientology episode, The Church of Scientology hired people to spy on Matt and Trey to find something on them to use for blackmail. The Church became frustrated when their investigation turned up nothing but the fact that they’re pretty normal people.
wLGB6 TIL that Lemmings do not commit mass suicide, it is a myth started by a 1958 Disney film "White Wilderness" that includes footage of producers throwing Lemmings off a cliff