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TIL that wild horses no longer exist. Only feral.
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laboratoryequipment.com
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ANG67
TIL that a “Jiffy” is a real unit of time. Defined by Gilbert Lewis in 1926 as the time it takes light to travel 1cm (~33.3564 picoseconds), it has since been redefined in astrophysics & quantum physics by Edward Harrison as the time it takes for light to travel 1 fermi (or, 10^-15m: ~3×10^-24sec):
kJ8YW
TIL about the infamous Ash Wednesday bushfires that ravaged the states of South Australia and Victoria on the 16th of February 1983. The fires burnt 3 million acres in a single day claiming a total of 75 lives and a total insurance cost of $324 million. ($1.16 billion adjusted for inflation)
d8y4Q
TIL The 24 Hours of Le Mans traditionally begins with a "standing start", where drivers run to their car. Feeling this type of start was unsafe, Jacky Ickx opposed it by walking across the track while his competitors ran. He was nearly hit by a car, and another was killed. Ickx won the race.
GYQJ1
TIL: NYC yellow cabs and livery cars have a 4.5-inch amber flasher (aka a "trouble light") on the rear. Its serves as a way to alert outsiders that they are feeling threatened. It's like their version of a silent alarm banks use.
kOAy7
TIL that when Kiefer Sutherland found out about a "24" drinking game where you drink every time he says "damn it," he decided to play along and started saying the phrase as many times as he could in an episode.