TIL Since the 1970s, the residents of Annapolis, Maryland have celebrated an Oyster Roast and Sock Burning every year on the Spring Equinox.
https://amaritime.org/event/annapolis-oyster-roast-sock-burning-saturday-march-23-2024-1200-400-pm/
#til #todayilearned
TIL the Babylonians used base 60 instead of base 10 for their mathematical calculations. This is why we have 60 seconds in a minute and 360 degrees in a circle.
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylonian_cuneiform_numerals
#til #todayilearned
TIL that the singer of Toto is the son of John Williams (composer for Star Wars, Jurassic Park, etc)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Williams_(musician)
#til #todayilearned
TIL about the Oklo Mine, site of the only known naturally occurring nuclear reactor on Earth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklo_Mine
#til #todayilearned
TIL that the oldest verified supercentenarian lived to 122 and regularly smoked cigarettes up until the age of 117
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Calment
#til #todayilearned
TIL The city of Whittier, Alaska is one large building with apartments, law enforcement, post office all included.
#til #todayilearned
TIL if you lose a Fallopian tube (many reasons why), your remaining tube may move back and forth each cycle to catch the egg from whichever ovary is releasing one that cycle
https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/28/4/937/653121
#til #todayilearned
TIL that Walt Disney's 1928 animated short "Steamboat Willie" featuring Mickey Mouse is now part of the public domain after having finished its 95th year as a copyrighted work. This means that this specific version of MM is freely available to use in new creative works across all artistic mediums.
https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2024/
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/18w7zgw/til_that_walt_disneys_1928_animated_short/
TIL when an ancient Parisian cemetery was decommissioned in 1786, fat from the decomposing bodies was collected and turned into candles and soap
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Innocents%27_Cemetery
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/18vu04e/til_when_an_ancient_parisian_cemetery_was/
TIL that amateur radio operators are able to speak directly to astronauts on the international space station. Low power radio equipment and small antennas can be used to establish communications to the ISS, mostly taking place during their scheduled evening free time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_Radio_on_the_International_Space_Station
#til #todayilearned
TIL the U.S. government buys surplus milk to win dairy industry votes; a practice that spans more than 100 years, leading to a 60 million barrel cheese stockpile in caves across the US and a reputation for low-quality American cheese
#til #todayilearned
TIL that in 2023, scientists discovered the first known species in which chimerism determines sex - the yellow crazy ant. The ant is invasive in many countries and is capable of a completely new type of sexual reproduction having previously never been seen before.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369856466_Obligate_chimerism_in_male_yellow_crazy_ants
#til #todayilearned
TIL the lunar temperature was 93ºC (200ºF) at the landing site of Apollo 11.
#til #todayilearned
TIL Following his childhood dream to become an astronaut, José Hernández applied 12 times year after year to NASA’s astronaut training program before being accepted in 2004 at age 42. His dream to go to space came true in 2009 when he traveled 14 days as a crew member on the shuttle Discovery
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/latino-astronaut-jose-m-hernandez-life-story…
#til #todayilearned
TIL that almost 300 nights a year over a slice of Venezuela, a "never-ending" lightning storm rages. It is due to the unique geographic and climatic conditions of the region.
https://explorersweb.com/natural-wonders-catatumbo-lightning/
#til #todayilearned
TIL that the Milky Way Galaxy is being pulled toward a mysterious area in space called "The Great Attractor" at about 6000km/s. Whatever it is, we can't see it from Earth because it's obscured the hub of our galaxy.
https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Attractor
#til #todayilearned
TIL: While many animals run faster than humans, the strength and positioning of our butts (gluteal muscles) gave humans the endurance to keep running and chasing prey when other animals had to stop.
https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/human-backside-scientific-and-cultural-history
#til #todayilearned
TIL that Mao Zedong gave out a box of mangoes gifted to him by Pakistan. A cult formed in China for the unfamiliar fruit. Replicas were made and publicly displayed. One man said that the fruit didn't look like anything special, and was shamefully paraded around his town and then publicly executed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mango_cult
#til #todayilearned
TIL Alice in Wonderland is banned in China due to the talking animals, believing that the book would teach children to think that humans and animals were on the same level, a result which would be "disastrous."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_censorship_in_China#List_of_censored_books
#til #todayilearned
TIL That Throughout The 1950’s And 60’s Car Manufacturers Developed A Turbine Engine That Was Capable Of Running Any Type Of Fuel Without Modification. As A Demonstration The Car Was Driven To Mexico Powered by Tequila. In France It Was Powered By Chanel No. 5
http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/08/jay.leno.cars/index.html
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/18humu5/til_that_throughout_the_1950s_and_60s_car/