› added 11 years ago

527

TIL that during construction of the Panama Canal, Ancon Hospital, one of the best hospitals in the tropics, kept potted plants in its open-air atrium in bowls of standing water to keep away ants, not realizing that the mosquitoes that bred in such water were the carriers of malaria and yellow fever.

Read more pbs.org

via reddit.com

neJB9 TIL in January 1968 a US bomber carrying four nuclear weapons crashed into an ice sheet in Greenland. Only three of the bombs were found, one still remains missing.
VM8L4 TIl an english garbage man won the lottery for 10 million pounds (25 mill USD in today's money), lost all of it then 8 years later reapplied for his old job as a garbage man.
5rP9 TIL that’s a group called Bikers Against Child Abuse International; these bikers will protect the homes of children and accompany them into court to testify.
R79gw TIL the Japan Times ran an article in 2010 predicting (seemingly accurately) the rise in popularity of thick thighs
b6EQ0 TIL the Kosovo War is an ongoing conflict, as the Kosovo region is still administered by a United Nations Mission. Even though Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, it is not recognized by all countries worldwide, and Serbia still considers Kosovo part of its territory.