› added 3 months ago

12

TIL that the sky isn't blue. What you're seeing is the result of Rayleigh scattering, sunlight bouncing off molecules and scattering shorter blue wavelengths more than red ones. But during sunrise, it’s orange. At night, black. On Mars, pink. So really, the sky is whatever the atmosphere decides.

l765a TIL John Hay started his career as a personal assistant to Abraham Lincoln and after Lincoln died, Hays became a true diplomat. He served under Presidents Hayes, Garfield, McKinley, and T. Roosevelt. His career spanned almost five decades. He died while he was still U.S. Secretary of State.
9MWM TIL that the Great Pyramid of Giza was originally constructed with a covering of polished casing stones that would act like gigantic mirrors and reflect light so powerful that the pyramid would be visible from the moon.
grVAy TIL that in 2021, China instituted rules stating that cities with populations of less than 3 million people can't build skyscrapers taller than 492 ft, and for cities above 3 million, no new skyscrapers can be taller than 1,640 feet.
oR7Nr TIL that All-American Jeep got bought in 1979 by French Renault. French patronage helped Jeep produce one of its most successful off-roaders, the XJ. Renault sold Jeep to Chrysler only 8 years later and exited the US market for good.
5M8r TIL an image of Jesus Christ that appeared on the side of a South American grocery store after a rain storm attracted hundreds of visitors and was claimed to be able to heal the sick. It was later discovered to be a whitewashed Willie Nelson tour poster.