› added 11 years ago

73

TIL that although the U.S. carpet bombing of Laos and Cambodia killed tens of thousands of people, it was officially denied for over 30 years

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97jp TIL a British woman was sued for biting off a man’s nose after he tried to kiss her without consent. She won and the judge ruled “When a man kisses a woman against her will, she is fully entitled to bite his nose”
WkJEL TIL that the adult mayfly lives less than 24 hours. Its sole purpose is to find partners and mate before it dies. The adults of many mayfly species don't even have mouths and digestive systems, because they don't live long enough to need them.
PYEkZ TIL that in the 1800s, Thanksgiving was basically Halloween. Poor people would knock on doors to ak “anything for Thanksgiving?” and rich kids went out dressed in rags to mock them, up until the Great Depression when the question was always answered with NO.
4kAlw TIL Out of 7 recorded incidents of "talk-down landings" - when the pilot becomes incapacitated and the plane is landed by a passenger with assistance over the radio - All were successful, with no injuries on landing
QLV6 TIL that there is an island off the coast of Brazil that is so greatly infested with venomous snakes (1-5 snakes per square meter) that the Brazilian navy has quarantined it. It is called ‘Snake Island’.