› added 11 years ago

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TIL that last November three people drowned trying to save a dog being swept away in ocean currents off the California coast. The dog made it to safety by itself.

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via reddit.com

yQpp8 TIL Before she became a big name in pop music, Taylor Swift was knocking praying mantises out of Christmas trees. Her family lived on a tree farm, and the superstar’s job was to ensure customers’ christmas trees weren’t full of bugs.
Lk5Kd TIL about Marino Morikawa, who "revived" a polluted lake in 15 days using nanotechnology
PYWEO TIL that some soldiers' wounds began to glow after the battle of Shiloh, and this glow was associated with better survival rates. It's thought to have been caused by an antibiotic-producing bacteria.
W7kgo TIL Pope Gregory XVI opposed gas lighting and railways, believing that they would create commerce and lead to liberal reforms. Gregory XVI in fact banned railways in the Papal States, calling them chemins d'enfer ("road to hell", a play on the French for railroad, chemin de fer, "iron road")
VMEb8 TIL that the first CIA director stated in a letter to Congress that "high-ranking Air Force officers are soberly concerned about UFOs. But through official secrecy and ridicule, many citizens are led to believe the unknown flying objects are nonsense."