TIL when lightning rods were first introduced in the 18th century, people found them so fascinating that wearable lightning rods become fashionable, e.g. a lightning rod in your hat or umbrella.
garfaagel @ garfaagel @sh.itjust.works Posts 155Comments 20Joined 2 yr. ago
garfaagel @ garfaagel @sh.itjust.works
Posts
155
Comments
20
Joined
2 yr. ago
TIL that on pre-colonial Easter Island there existed an undeciphered system of writing or proto-writing, called Rongorongo, which would be one of few independent inventions of writing.
Difference between highest and lowest temperature ever measured in each country.
TIL that on the isolated Pacific Pitcairn Island, six men, including the mayor, out of a total population of just 47, were in 2004 found guilty of rape and sexual assault against children.
TIL about the Falkland Islands wolf, the only native land mammal on the islands. It is not quite clear how it got there from the mainland, 480 km away. It was hunted to extinction in the 19th century.
Map of the Caribbean island Montserrat. Much of the island, including its capital, was devastated by volcanic eruptions in the 90s. The majority of the island is now an uninhabitable exclusion zone.
TIL about the "The Boring Billion", a time period from 1.8 to 0.8 billion years ago characterized by more or less tectonic stability, climatic stasis, and stalled biological evolution.
TIL that Singapore is the only country in the world that gained independence against its will. It was expelled from Malaysia in 1965, after a 126-0 vote in the Malaysian parliament.
Global fishing intensity throughout the last 150 years. (Note the change of unit.)
TIL that in 2010 the stock market experienced a flash crash, caused by automatic trading. Over a trillion dollars were lost and mostly regained, all in 36 minutes. Exact causes remain disputed.
TIL that the first person in history we know the name of was an ordinary accountant named Kushim. He used his name to sign a clay tablet receipt for barley shipments, around 3100 BC.
TIL on the Papuan Bougainville Island, 41% of the men admitted having coerced a non-partner into sex, and 59% to having sex with their partner when she was unwilling. 14.1% admitted gang rape.
TIL that trained monkeys are used to pick coconuts, since they can pick up to 1600 coconuts per day, compared to 80 for a human. However, there have been accusations of abuse against the monkeys.