› added 7 years ago

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TIL a Canadian native and animal trapper called Grey Owl gained prominence in the early 1900s as a respected environmental conservationist. Upon his death it was revealed that he was actually a transplanted Englishman named Archibald Belaney, who had been colouring his skin and dying his hair black.

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VyYB TIL that in Summer Olympics a tie for first (and thus multiple gold medals) has occurred 26+ times
VK5D TIL We are still making scientific discoveries about water because it is so bizarre. Water ice has 15 different phases, and there is now a strange, “quasicrystal” form when the ice is only 2 molecule layers thick.
X14E TIL that instead of venom, the Braconid wasp produces an immune-suppressing virus which paves the way for its parasitic larvae. This adaptation is the result of a 100-million year old virus which altered the wasp’s DNA leading to the formation of an organ whose sole purpose is to assemble the virus.
1aLyr TIL that after being caught driving at 290km/h (180mph) in Switzerland, a man was fined $1,000,000, the most expensive speeding ticket ever given. He was driving so quickly that several older-model speed cameras were unable to detect him. The driver claimed that his cars speedometer was broken.
NXngb TIL NASA's Gemini 6a astronauts & craft were saved by a fluke. At ignition an electrical plug came off shutting down the engines. Later a dust cover was found left on a gas generator in error. Had the plug not fallen off the furl flow would have been choked, triggering a perilous pad ejection.