› added 12 years ago

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TIL the radioactive isotope Polonium-210 is found in tobacco smoke.

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GAAj5 TIL that an estimated 13-19% of all Sequoias more than 4ft in diameter were destroyed in wildfires since the 2020 fire season
m1MJY TIL that John Elwes (1714–1789), MP for Berkshire, was an eccentric miser believed to inspire Dickens’ Scrooge. Inheriting vast wealth, he lived in rags, ate spoiled food, and would walk miles in the rain to save coach fare, amassing £500,000 (£81 million in 2021) by his death.
9LYp TIL Alexander I of Yugoslavia refused to attend public events on Tuesdays after three family members died on that day of the week. After finally being forced to appear on Tuesday, he was promptly assassinated.
yXMJ TIL of the “electrolaser”, a real world directed-energy weapon which fires laser-guided lightning bolts. When fired, a laser forms a channel of supercharged plasma out of the surrounding air, creating a path for the lightning and also causing a sonic boom.
e0oy4 TIL the NORAD set for the movie War Games was at the time time most expensive movie set ever built. It was more advanced than the real NORAD, which was still using technology from the 50s.