› added 12 years ago

288

TIL: descendants of survivors of the Bubonic plague may be immune to the HIV virus.

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k4M7 TIL: The murder rate by firearms is less than half of what it was 20 years ago in the USA (6.6 per 100K in 1993 vs 3.2 per 100K now)
WNk4 TIL that the term ‘gargoyle’ only refers to carved stone figures in Gothic architecture that function as water spouts. Any other figure is considered a 'grotesque’.
YpV8P TIL CIA had an instructions manual for U2 pilots describing what they could eat, so that didn't had the urge to poop while on mission, which often spanned around 9 hours. The plane had no means of disposing the fecal matter.
4kmg5 TIL The 200+ yr old open-outcry system that the NYSE used was disrupted by an entrepreneur who created a digital exchange that is what ETFs trade on now, and has replaced the often corrupted system that existed for generations.
jbLa TIL there are less blimp pilots in the world than astronauts