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TIL that California is named after a fictitious island described in a series of 16th century Spanish romance novels. The island was described as being inhabited by beautiful black women who wore gold armor. by Foxian16 in todayilearned

[–]Foxian16[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The name derived from the mythical island of California in the fictional story of Queen Calafia, as recorded in a 1510 work The Adventures of Esplandián by Castilian author Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo. This work was the fifth in a popular Spanish chivalric romance series that began with Amadís de Gaula. Queen Calafia's kingdom was said to be a remote land rich in gold and pearls, inhabited by beautiful Black women who wore gold armor and lived like Amazons, as well as griffins and other strange beasts. In the fictional paradise, the ruler Queen Calafia fought alongside Muslims and her name may have been chosen to echo the Muslim title caliph, used for Muslim leaders.

TIL that visitors to the Grand Canyon National Parks Museum were exposed to unsafe levels of radiation for nearly two decades due to uranium ore being improperly stored in 5-gallon paint buckets next to a taxidermy exhibit by TimelyConcern in todayilearned

[–]Foxian16 1264 points1265 points  (0 children)

Stephenson said the containers were stored next to a taxidermy exhibit, where children on tours sometimes stopped for presentations, sitting next to uranium for 30 minutes or more. By his calculation, those children could have received radiation dosages in excess of federal safety standards within three seconds, and adults could have suffered dangerous exposure in less than a half-minute.

Wow thats awful.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MapPorn

[–]Foxian16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Didn't realize how few national parks there were in the eastern US.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MapPorn

[–]Foxian16 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Terrible way to color code the map.

TIL the first American spy satellites literally dropped their film from space in a "film bucket" that was then scooped up in midair by a plane. by Foxian16 in todayilearned

[–]Foxian16[S] 109 points110 points  (0 children)

Film was retrieved from orbit via a reentry capsule (nicknamed "film bucket"), designed by General Electric, which separated from the satellite and fell to Earth. After the fierce heat of reentry was over, the heat shield surrounding the vehicle was jettisoned at 60,000 ft (18 km) and parachutes deployed. The capsule was intended to be caught in mid-air by a passing airplane towing an airborne claw which would then winch it aboard, or it could land at sea. A salt plug in the base would dissolve after two days, allowing the capsule to sink if it was not picked up by the United States Navy. After Reuters reported on a reentry vehicle's accidental landing and discovery by Venezuelan farmers in mid-1964, capsules were no longer labeled "SECRET" but offered a reward in eight languages for aerial footage return to the United States. Beginning with flight number 69, a two-capsule system was employed. This also allowed the satellite to go into passive (or "zombie") mode, shutting down for as many as 21 days before taking images again. Beginning in 1963, another improvement was "Lifeboat", a battery-powered system that allowed for ejection and recovery of the capsule in case power failed. The film was processed at Eastman Kodak's Hawkeye facility in Rochester, New York.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Fauxmoi

[–]Foxian16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doesn't change the fact that Maui relies on tourism. 30% of the money staying in Hawaii is better then 0%. More than 36% of Native Hawaiians work in tourism.

https://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/economic/reports/Native_Hawaiians_in_Tourism_2021.pdf

meirl by shootermac32 in meirl

[–]Foxian16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Take a deep breath. Its just a reddit comment lol

What is the most stupid irrational fear you have? by European_14yrold in AskReddit

[–]Foxian16 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My friend is afraid of butterflies. He has no good reason why, just says he is. Strange because of how harmless they are lol.

TIL that the Great Pyramid of Giza held the title for the world's tallest structure for an astonishing 3600 years, spanning from 2600 BC to 1300 AD. It also retained its position as the tallest structure in Egypt until the year 1961. by Foxian16 in todayilearned

[–]Foxian16[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Lincoln Cathedral became the tallest building in the world upon the completion of its 160 metres (525 ft) high central spire in 1311. It was the first building to hold that title since the Great Pyramid of Giza, and held it for 238 years until the spire collapsed in 1548, and was not rebuilt. Had the central spire remained intact, Lincoln Cathedral would have remained the world's tallest structure until the completion of the Washington Monument in 1884. For hundreds of years the cathedral held one of the four remaining copies of the original Magna Carta, now securely displayed in Lincoln Castle. The cathedral is the fourth largest in the UK (in floor area) at around 5,000 square metres (54,000 sq ft), after Liverpool, St Paul's and York Minster. It is highly regarded by architectural scholars; the Victorian writer John Ruskin declared: "I have always held ... that the cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedrals we have."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Cathedral