Recent comments in /f/todayilearned
mrsc1880 t1_j9fqf94 wrote
Reply to comment by MustardFacedSavior in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
I'm from eastern PA and my husband was from the Pittsburgh area. He didn't know the word. I thought it was just him. I had no idea it was regional.
mrsc1880 t1_j9fq4hk wrote
Reply to comment by i_want_my_corncob_tv in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
People around here pronounce it like mu-CAD-um.
tossinthisshit1 t1_j9fpved wrote
Reply to TIL that artificial banana flavoring isn't based on a species of banana that got wiped out, but instead uses Isoamyl acetate to replicate the flavor, which is only part of what gives bananas their distinctive taste. by NoLackofEnthusiasm
gros michel wasn't even wiped out. you can still get them in tropical areas. pretty sure my mother's banana tree in florida grew gros michels. you can definitely get them if you visit a tropical country and go to a farmers market
2ByteTheDecker t1_j9fprhs wrote
Reply to comment by hambluegar_sammwich in TIL a woman was once drafted by the NBA but had to turn the team down bc she was pregnant. She’s also in the hall of fame. by Desolecontra
And most teams will only play 10-17 if the game is already out of reach (garbage time). There aren't multiple lines of players who actually get time/provide any particular value.
Magusreaver t1_j9fpouv wrote
Reply to comment by jamescookenotthatone in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
my mouth just dried out thinking about that.
hambluegar_sammwich t1_j9fpjk4 wrote
Reply to comment by 2ByteTheDecker in TIL a woman was once drafted by the NBA but had to turn the team down bc she was pregnant. She’s also in the hall of fame. by Desolecontra
17 vs 23, and two of those 17 are 2-way players that are only kinda halfway on the team.
Ill-eat-anything t1_j9fp6jj wrote
Reply to comment by hairlessdwarf in TIL with Scallops, only the abductor muscle is eaten by humans. The rest of the meat, which is edible, may contain a buildup of toxins, and is discarded at sea. by testhec10ck
No. My dog's got no nose.
LeTigron t1_j9fopkt wrote
Reply to comment by HealthyMaintenance49 in TIL that ligers (the offspring of a male lion and female tiger) are the largest big cat because, unlike lionesses, female tigers do not possess growth-limiting genes to counter the growth-maximising genes of male lions. by argh-ok
Yes, let's not forget me !
Future_Green_7222 t1_j9fonjs wrote
Reply to TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
Roads will last for centuries without maintenance
... unless we use cars on them
JohnDunstable t1_j9fod41 wrote
Reply to comment by edwardrha in TIL the tradition of naming American tanks after generals was actually started by the British during WW2. by edwardrha
But first the UK named the Stuart and the Lee. Then the Grant and the Sherman.
cortlong t1_j9fo5pd wrote
Reply to comment by TheTinyTinkerer in TIL with Scallops, only the abductor muscle is eaten by humans. The rest of the meat, which is edible, may contain a buildup of toxins, and is discarded at sea. by testhec10ck
/r/technicallythetruth
i_want_my_corncob_tv t1_j9fo50i wrote
Reply to comment by adfthgchjg in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
That would be the second one then
QUEFUERTE t1_j9fnvgr wrote
ZedTT t1_j9fnq8p wrote
Reply to comment by LifeBuilder in TIL that ligers (the offspring of a male lion and female tiger) are the largest big cat because, unlike lionesses, female tigers do not possess growth-limiting genes to counter the growth-maximising genes of male lions. by argh-ok
Not exactly. The square cube law makes larger life unviable and makes evolution naturally select against animals that are too big. In this case, though, evolution isn't really at play as these are artificially bred animals.
Evidently there is some square cube law wiggle room above the size of large cats, hence ligers don't drop dead from overheating or being unable to stand etc. They may be overall less suited to their environment, though.
Deruta t1_j9fnlre wrote
Reply to comment by Cannibal_Hector in TIL In 1897, the US Government created "The Board of Tea Experts" to taste test every lot of imported tea, to ensure that the tea tasted good. The Board was abolished in 1996. by Ihatethemuffinman
Of course, what else would we be paying the Chief Tea Officer for??
Big_Red_Stapler t1_j9fnkrz wrote
Reply to comment by HealthyMaintenance49 in TIL that ligers (the offspring of a male lion and female tiger) are the largest big cat because, unlike lionesses, female tigers do not possess growth-limiting genes to counter the growth-maximising genes of male lions. by argh-ok
The mighty king of the jungle, meets with the agile king of the city .
Stalking in the shadows of the city, ever ready to peck up any bread crumb on the walkway.
adfthgchjg t1_j9fngci wrote
Reply to comment by i_want_my_corncob_tv in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
m’caddum. Googled “pronounce macadam” and it said“muh CA dum” (emphasis is on the middle syllable). The google answer page also speaks it out loud, to remove any possible confusion.
Koksny t1_j9fna11 wrote
Reply to comment by [deleted] in TIL that artificial banana flavoring isn't based on a species of banana that got wiped out, but instead uses Isoamyl acetate to replicate the flavor, which is only part of what gives bananas their distinctive taste. by NoLackofEnthusiasm
In agriculture we actually reproduce most (almost all) fruiting perennials by cloning, because every and each seed is a bit different, and will grow into its own different species. That's how evolution works, my friend.
This is the difference between cultivation and farming. For cultivation, the plants are grown from seeds into mothers, and we sell the clippings (clones) to farmers, to provide best of species. But when farming, you will not plant an orchard from seeds, instead you wil use clones.
FatherOften t1_j9fn1fs wrote
Reply to TIL that Milton Bradley originally had been in the business of selling pictures of celebrities. After his biggest seller Abraham Lincoln grew his iconic beard and rendered his entire stock of lithographs worthless and had customers demanding their money back, MB switched to selling board games by Loki-L
That is the perfect definition of a pain pivot in business!
[deleted] t1_j9fmymc wrote
Reply to comment by der_innkeeper in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
[deleted]
MustardFacedSavior t1_j9fmq4o wrote
Reply to comment by mrsc1880 in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
Huh. I grew up in PA and just always that that's what the blacktop roads were called. Neat.
YHZ t1_j9fmoen wrote
Reply to comment by Hazzamo in TIL the tradition of naming American tanks after generals was actually started by the British during WW2. by edwardrha
> Gary Gritter
It's now been taken off the road as it was plowing unfinished roads that weren't ready to be driven on yet.
adfthgchjg t1_j9fqo5l wrote
Reply to comment by i_want_my_corncob_tv in TIL of Macadam roads. These roads were convex, raised a few inches, and made of layered crushed rock; they were state-of-the-art for the 19th century. The rise of automobiles led to the dust issues that were solved by binding the roads with tar, leading to the invention of tarmac. by jamescookenotthatone
Good catch! I’ll fix my reply.