› added 10 months ago

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TIL that the Niesen Stairway (service stairway for Niesenbahn funicular) is the longest staircase in the world with 11,674 steps. It is located on Mt. Niesen in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps.

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via reddit.com

woLAJ TIL: The Phillips head screw was invented by a guy named Thompson, who for some reason issued the patent to Phillips
LkLxm TIL hummingbirds use spider silk to build nests. The unique properties of the silk allow the nest to expand as the young hummingbirds grow.
m1wmo TIL that The Pig War of 1859 was a territorial dispute that occurred between the United States and the United Kingdom on San Juan Island. One pig was the only casualty with the German Empire arbitrating the dispute.
DdVe TIL that from 1934 to 1976, Sweden forcibly sterilized over 62,000 people, mostly ethnic minorities such as Gypsies, as well as rebellious young people.
jO9M TIL at the 1956 Olympics, an Australian student successfully impersonated an Olympic torchbearer, handing the mayor of Sydney a painted chair leg topped with a pair of burning underwear in front of a crowd of thousands.