TIL That Hops (beer), Hackberry, Blue Sandalwood and Trema Orientalis are all closely related to cannabis. And blackberries, apples, peaches, figs, and roses are all in the same Rosales order as cannabis. (distant cousins)
#til #todayilearned
TIL there’s a sound in Gustav Mahler’s 6th symphony that requires a giant hammer(or similar equipment) to make — now called the ‘Mahler hammer’.
https://cso.org/experience/article/9839/dropping-the-hammer-in-mahlers-sixth-symphony
#til #todayilearned
TIL the Grand Canyon is listed at just 7th in the world on a list of "greatest ravines".
#til #todayilearned
TIL about Neils Bohr's Gunslinger Effect, which shows that for many competing actions (like two Western gunslingers drawing a gun) the reactor acts faster than the first actor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunslinger_effect
#til #todayilearned
TIL that the scientific method was revealed to René Descartes in a series of three dreams
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Descartes#Army_service
#til #todayilearned
TIL that people influence adaptability and urban planning by creating 'elephant trails/desire paths', showcasing our natural movement patterns.
#til #todayilearned
TIL that about 30 million Americans can trace their ancestry back to the 132 passengers and crew of the Mayflower, which landed in (what would become) Massachusetts, in 1620
https://www.mayflower400uk.org/education/the-mayflower-story/
#til #todayilearned
TIL measles destroys your immune system's memory. Most deaths are from other secondary infections.
https://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal.ppat.1002885&
#til #todayilearned
TIL In India zero-currency notes are paid in protest by angry citizens to government functionaries who solicit bribes in return for services which are supposed to be free. In 2007 a non-profit organization created the zero-currency note and thousands of notes are distributed every month.
https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-rupee_note
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1azgfdq/til_in_india_zerocurrency_notes_are_paid_in/
TIL Swedes put bananas on their pizza
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/sweden-banana-pizza/
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1athaeu/til_swedes_put_bananas_on_their_pizza/
TIL about Paul Pena, a blind blues musician who taught himself Tuvan [AKA Mongolian] throat singing. He then traveled to the fringes of Mongolia to compete in a throat singing competition in the 90s and won.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_xlbCq0WTw
#til #todayilearned
TIL, unlike most birds, kiwis have horrible eyesight and are frequently prone to ophthalmological issues. As a result, they naturally rely so heavily on other senses that some have been found to have survived perfectly well albeit completely blind in the wild for years.
https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-017-0424-0
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1aqdtuo/til_unlike_most_birds_kiwis_have_horrible/
TIL the planet Venus has a "quasi-satellite" called 524522 Zoozve that looks like it orbits the planet but actually orbits the Sun. It's been co-orbital with Venus for the last 7,000 years but most likely will be ejected in 500 years
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/524522_Zoozve
#til #todayilearned
TIL from 1969-72 Ford offered their cars in a color called "Anti-Establishment Mint"
https://www.colourstudies.com/blog/2018/1/24/anti-establishment-mint
#til #todayilearned
TIL about "Man Engines" which were moving ladders that constantly moved up and down about 10 feet and used to move miners from 1000 ft deep mine shafts by stepping on and off the ladder step at the top of the up stroke, then stepping onto the next step on the down stroke (animation in link)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_engine
#til #todayilearned
TIL Icebergs as tall as the Eiffel Tower carved lines in the sea floor to the Florida Keys
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article252231868.html
#til #todayilearned
TIL Kongo Gumi is a construction company founded in 578AD and still in operation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kong%C5%8D_Gumi
#til #todayilearned
TIL since we are used to seeing ourselves in the mirror, photos can seem less pleasing to ourselves as the perspective is swapped back to the real life presentation.
https://observer.com/2016/08/heres-why-you-look-good-in-the-mirror-but-bad-in-photos/
#til #todayilearned
TIL that some of the earliest schools in Massachussets and Virginia in the 1640s were desegregated (Black students were taught alongside white students)
#til #todayilearned
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/19asqih/til_that_some_of_the_earliest_schools_in/
TIL that our tastebuds are not as sensitive at high altitude as they are at sea level, which is due to a combination of dry air and pressure change. This is why airline food often tastes "flavorless." Our perception of saltiness and sweetness drops by around 30 percent at high altitude.
https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/one-reason-airline-food-so-bad-your-own-tastebuds-6…
#til #todayilearned
