› added 11 months ago

214

TIL 90% of people struck by lightning survive

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via reddit.com

0wL4A TIL that there's a species of cactus native to New England and Canada.
yVQwX TIL that a black garden ant can live for 20 years.
GgGg TIL the French Resistance cut the elevator cables to the Eiffel Tower to keep Hitler from visiting it during his visit when Paris fell. When faced with the prospect of climbing over 1500 stairs he opted out.
W7MXB TIL a Belgian princess living in a Belgian castle during WWI was protected due to a sign from a German general that partially read "I order the German soldiers passing by here not to ring the bell and to leave the place untouched" because she was the sister-in-law of Austria-Hungary's emperor.
Y7x8v TIL that while Roman Catholic cardinals debate who should be the next Pope, black smoke from the Sistine Chapel's chimney means that no candidate has received enough votes. White smoke means that someone has received the necessary two thirds of votes to become the new head of the Catholic Church.