› added 1 month ago

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TIL that tree rings don't just show age — they can also record solar flares, volcanic eruptions, and even supernovae.

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kO1Xm TIL Soundcloud was blocked in Turkey in 2014 because a user “haramzadeler” (“bastards” in Turkish) uploaded seven privately recored phonecalls between the now president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, politicians and businessmen, that revealed illegal activity and possible bribery.
NXMkM TIL that Chimpanzees can have "Down Syndrome" or trisomy 22
x6lP1 TIL Tomatoes are native to the Americas, so there was no such thing as tomato sauce in Italy until at least the 16th century.
M08m TIL the largest Embassy in the world is the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. It cost $750 million to build, employs 16,000 people and costs $6 billion a year to run.
npQb TIL that the act of “giving the key to the city” is a continuation of a medieval practice where the cities would be locked at night but someone given the key could come and go as they please as an honor for something great done for the city