› added 11 years ago

76

TIL that a woman, hired by Dyncorp to crackdown on forced prostitution on behalf of the UN, discovered that the UN police were the main perpetrators of forced prostitution and was later fired.

Read more guardiannews.com

via reddit.com

W7X74 TIL hawkmoths rapidly rub their genitals in order to create ultrasound bursts. This confuses bats and effectively makes the moths invisible
vPOa8 TIL that many of the lifeforms in the Ediacaran Period (c. 635–538.8 Mya), are very challenging to place in the tree of life. We are not sure whether they are animals, lichens, algae, fungi, microbial colonies, or some strange intermediate between plants and animals.
prb4 TIL that George Washington was bled to death by doctors who were treating him for a cold. Bloodletting was a common medical practice at the time in order to remove “dirty blood,” when in reality it only weakens the patient. Half or more of his blood was removed within a few hours.
mxNZP TIL that a son posthumously inducted his father into the Baseball Hall of Fame by leaving a photo of him underneath a display at the museum. 6 years later it was found by a staff member. After identifying the man in the photo the museum framed the photo and is now on display near where it was found.
rGp0 TIL that in 1964 an Israeli spy convinced the Syrians to plant trees near military fortifications so that their soldiers had some shelter against the sun. The Israeli’s used those trees as targeting markers ensuring a swift victory in the Six-Day War