› added 5 years ago

69

TIL the word "vodka" comes from the Slavic word for water.

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via reddit.com

W65L TIL that polar bears are nearly invisible to Infrared photography
MeJQK TIL a UK study found that North American gray squirrels are smarter than UK red squirrels at tasks to get hazelnuts. Both gray & red equally opened a clear flap to get a nut. But in a multi-step task including operating a lever to get a nut, 91% of gray squirrels solved it vs 62% of red squirrels.
mxDAE TIL of the Hmong people, who communicate by whistling - the valleys of the Himalayas they live in make for ideal transmission, sometimes carried as far as 8km. They even perform whistling courtship ceremonies, and once in a relationship, lovers can make up their own ‘secret’ syllables!
WkNl8 TIL that every year on September 11, firefighters in the United States will climb 110 flights of stairs in full gear in buildings or at the gym to remember the 343 firefighters who lost their lives that day.
rnB4 TIL that it only takes 18 days to build a complete tolerance to a given daily dosage of caffeine.