› added 4 weeks ago

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TIL that Shipworms, a marine mollusk or "termites of the sea", may have changed the history of the world by helping the British defeat the Spanish Armada by eating away at their formidable 130-ship fleet. They also inspired the design of modern tunnel boring machines by how they eat wood head first.

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via reddit.com

JYaBk TIL Half of Earth's oxygen comes from the ocean and not from trees, mainly from phytoplankton.
QBY6 TIL that on July 4th, 2012, San Diego had planned a 17 minute firework show but it lasted less than a minute when all the fireworks discharged simultaneously.
rRJxd TIL in Quartz watches, the second hand is rarely aligned perfectly. This is an unintentional indicator that the watch is handmade, because mass machine assembly is required to completely ensure that the second hands align.
BOae TIL that there are still 4 teams in the NFL that, in 50 years, have never once been to a Super Bowl.
0O5v TIL that elephants skeletons are designed to carry weights under them, not on top, and many Elephants end up with deformed and broken backs as a result of years of long hours spent carrying tourists around.