Recent comments in /f/todayilearned
UghWhyDude t1_ja0w80s wrote
Reply to comment by Mete11uscimber in TIL about the only double barrel cannon in the world. When it was its first tested during the American Civil War, the chain snapped immediately and one ball tore into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney; the other spun off erratically and struck a nearby cow, killing it instantly. by ExpertPreference8481
"It WAS LIKE THAT WHEN WE CAME OUT TO PLAY THIS MORNING, MOM - I SWEAR!"
[deleted] t1_ja0w6ix wrote
AmericanoWsugar t1_ja0vype wrote
Reply to TIL about the only double barrel cannon in the world. When it was its first tested during the American Civil War, the chain snapped immediately and one ball tore into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney; the other spun off erratically and struck a nearby cow, killing it instantly. by ExpertPreference8481
What cowliber shot do you think it was?
Metalsand t1_ja0vsw5 wrote
Reply to TIL about the only double barrel cannon in the world. When it was its first tested during the American Civil War, the chain snapped immediately and one ball tore into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney; the other spun off erratically and struck a nearby cow, killing it instantly. by ExpertPreference8481
It's definitively not the only double-barrel cannon in the world, because even if you argue autocannon that exist most notably in naval ships are somehow a different category of cannon and don't count, a modernized replica of this exact cannon was built on the reality show American Guns.
McKenzienot t1_ja0vowy wrote
Reply to comment by JennySinger in Today I Learned that the moon distances itself from the Earth by about 3,78 cm(1.49 inches) every year. by LucasOIntoxicado
If the moon had an id, I think it would be embarrassed to be associated with us.
eggsssssssss t1_ja0vl6r wrote
Reply to comment by underthingy in TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
You don’t really know much about “the surrounding region”, do you? Painting Saudi Arabia as a victim of European colonialism sorta reeks of ignorance. “They’re the brown people, they must be the underclass!”
When I think of colonialism in southwest asia, I’m thinking primarily about Arab, Turkish, and Persian hegemonies. European colonization… I guess if you want to talk about hellenism & rome?
If you want to talk about France, Britain, and Italy in North Africa, that’s a different matter.
PoisonChrysallis t1_ja0vk9d wrote
Reply to Today I Learned that the moon distances itself from the Earth by about 3,78 cm(1.49 inches) every year. by LucasOIntoxicado
Back away slowly
icwhatudidthr t1_ja0vf4m wrote
Reply to TIL the largest beaver dam in the world is over a half mile long and was discovered via satellite images by Miamime
I can only think about poor Jerry.
zeropointcorp t1_ja0v5yv wrote
Reply to comment by Melon_In_a_Microwave in TIL about the only double barrel cannon in the world. When it was its first tested during the American Civil War, the chain snapped immediately and one ball tore into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney; the other spun off erratically and struck a nearby cow, killing it instantly. by ExpertPreference8481
The barrels are independent; OP’s cannon (because of the chain shot) would have to be fired simultaneously.
KaiserSozes-brother t1_ja0uskg wrote
Reply to TIL that despite having brains the size of poppy seeds, bees are able to recognize and remember human faces. In a study, researchers paired images of human faces with sugar-laced water, and bees were able to recognize and remember the faces even when the reward was no longer present. by MaleficentTop6074
Bees “know” there keeper as well.
When I was a boy we had hives on the field road near the alfalfa fields. It was common to walk the path to the point I didn’t think twice about the bees. I had a friend visit, and the bees didn’t like him for some reason and it was messy. I told him to calm down, but it didn’t work. I learned to give a wide brerth from that point forward it the bees didn’t know my guest.
Masterovreality t1_ja0ujg8 wrote
JennySinger t1_ja0ubiy wrote
Reply to comment by McKenzienot in Today I Learned that the moon distances itself from the Earth by about 3,78 cm(1.49 inches) every year. by LucasOIntoxicado
The space trash we’ve surrounded our planet in is pushing it away.
jason_abacabb t1_ja0u97j wrote
Reply to comment by PlasticMix8573 in TIL about the only double barrel cannon in the world. When it was its first tested during the American Civil War, the chain snapped immediately and one ball tore into a nearby cabin, knocking down its chimney; the other spun off erratically and struck a nearby cow, killing it instantly. by ExpertPreference8481
Fell down, and so became ground beef.
underthingy t1_ja0tthk wrote
Reply to comment by HalflinsLeaf in TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
That doesn't mean that the destabilisation of the surrounding region caused by European colonialism hasn't affected it.
Farrell-Mars t1_ja0tldw wrote
Reply to TIL that despite having brains the size of poppy seeds, bees are able to recognize and remember human faces. In a study, researchers paired images of human faces with sugar-laced water, and bees were able to recognize and remember the faces even when the reward was no longer present. by MaleficentTop6074
Thin client brainware?
AnchorKlanker t1_ja0sv7m wrote
Reply to TIL about Kaktovik numerals, a base-20 number system based on a on Inupiaq language, and created by a class of middle students by CreatrixAnima
Well, that's gonna be really helpful and popular, too.
vampirevlord t1_ja0ssci wrote
Reply to comment by purplekaworu in TIL of Finnish man Lauri Allan Törni (born 1919) who fought in WW2 as both a Finnish and German soldier, and in the Vietnam War as a US Special Forces soldier. He was killed in a helicopter crash in 1965. by bermuda__
All Finnish volunteers were placed with the SS and not with the Wehrmacht Forming the Finnish Volunteer Battalion of the Waffen-SS and the Finnish SS-Company
https://www.feldgrau.com/ww2-german-wehrmacht-finnish-volunteers/
Due_Platypus_3913 t1_ja0snoo wrote
Reply to comment by RabidMortal in TIL: "Popcorn" is not simply a descriptive term, but also refers to a specific variety of corn which has the unique characteristic of being able to pop, while the other five varieties of corn do not have this capability. by greenappletree
The way it erupts and expands was part of harvest ceremonies/festivals as a metaphor for corn fields being productive.
dark_LUEshi t1_ja0slut wrote
Reply to TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
Pretty sure that's a busted Jawa Sandcrawler.
HalflinsLeaf t1_ja0s7y3 wrote
Reply to comment by underthingy in TIL there's a rock formation in Saudi Arabia about 6 meters high and 9 meters wide, split curiously in half and balanced on two small, natural pedestals. The origin of the Al Naslaa rock formation is unknown. by OccludedFug
Saudi Arabia has never been under European colonial rule. https://www.worldatlas.com/history/10-countries-which-have-never-been-colonised-by-europeans.html
Tote_Sport t1_ja0r6rw wrote
Reply to comment by aprofondir in TIL of Finnish man Lauri Allan Törni (born 1919) who fought in WW2 as both a Finnish and German soldier, and in the Vietnam War as a US Special Forces soldier. He was killed in a helicopter crash in 1965. by bermuda__
Did the Finns lose the Winter War? I thought that was a stalemate?
Venturin t1_ja0qnih wrote
Reply to comment by The_Presitator in TIL Poltergeist, which came out in 1982, was rated PG. This is despite not just the movie fitting perfectly into the horror genre, but also many adult themes including the smoking of marijuana and a deep dive into the occult. by duganaok
Neither are onscreen dismemberment.
SeiCalros t1_ja0qluc wrote
Reply to comment by laughingmeeses in TIL: "Popcorn" is not simply a descriptive term, but also refers to a specific variety of corn which has the unique characteristic of being able to pop, while the other five varieties of corn do not have this capability. by greenappletree
if it were that intuitive it would be true of pickles for cucumbers and of button mushrooms for portabello
unlike corn - both of those things are the result of th processing methods
certain cucumber cultivars are more likely to be used for pickles but theyre also smaller because theyre picked earlier - and portabello mushrooms are the SAME cultivar as button mushrooms - theyre just picked later
so to a person with a bit more knowledge than you have in general cooking and biology but a little bit less knowledge for corn specifically - maybe it isnt so obvious that popcorn kernels are a different cultivar from sweet corn kernels - maybe they just assumed - for example - that they were picked young and stripped differently from the cob
after all - its pretty obvious from comparing corn on the cob to frozen or canned corn that they cut the base of the kernel when processing it normally - which would prevent it from being popped even if it was the right cultivar
EndIsNighLetsGetHi t1_ja0wdux wrote
Reply to comment by GoGaslightYerself in TIL residents of Tangier Island, 12 miles off the coast of Virginia, have remained so isolated they still speak a dialect similar to the original colonists from the 1700s by emily_9511
It is almost impenetrable, but damn is it rewarding to finish. All of his books are great. Anathem is by far the best.