› added 6 years ago

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TIL archeologists are using LiDAR to survey the South American rainforests. The results have helped reveal over 60000 previously undiscovered ruins, part of a much greater civilization than previously thought.

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Wke1N TIL the origin of the name "California" probably came from a reference to a fictional island described in a popular novel of the time of its discovery: Las Sergas de Esplandián.
RQQ1 TIL that the first gunpowder weapon was actually a melee spear with a one shot flamethrower attached called a fire lance used by the Chinese around year 1000.
8aBRV TIL that the average delay of a Japanese bullet train is just 54 seconds, despite factors such as natural disasters. If the train is more than five minutes late, passengers are issued with a certificate that they can show their boss to show that they are late.
XE6aX TIL Studio Ghibli caps their merchandise income at 10 billion yen, in fear that any more commercialization would make their characters 'die instantly'
yQ7QM TIL the Air Force recently invented underwear for fighter pilots that automatically detects urine and flushes it into a sack where it freezes the urine for disposal after the flight, solving a major problem of inflight peeing.