› added 1 year ago

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TIL of gamma-ray bursts, immensely energetic explosions that occur when a giant star implodes and becomes a black hole. It can release as much energy in a few seconds as the Sun will in its entire 10-billion-year lifetime. It may also have caused a mass extinction on Earth 440 million years ago.

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P1kWZ TIL of Louis Wyman - Winner of 1974 New Hampshire Senate Election by just 2 votes, and served only 3 days while marred in an epic dispute then lost a rematch the next year convincingly
QJOjk TIL that one town in Scotland celebrates Halloween on the last Friday of October instead of the 31st, since there’s no school or work (for most) the next day.
xV100 TIL that in 1972, in York, England archaeologists discovered the largest piece of fossilized human feces ever found. The dung measured 7 inches long and 2 inches wide and was created by a Viking in the 9th century who’s diet consisted of meat and bread and was riddled with intestinal worms.
l7ZwN TIL a study found that people who live very close to recent lottery winners are more likely to go bankrupt due to spending beyond their means because they feel compelled to do so when they see evidence of exorbitant spending around them. The bigger the win, the more likely the neighbors go bankrupt.
8nNP TIL East China Sea parts every year and exposes a narrow 2.9km long strip of land allowing thousands of people to cross from Jindo island to Modo island of Korea. This land is exposed about an hour each day for approximately 4 days every year.