Ancient Roman concrete lasts 2,000 years by healing itsel... | funfact.wiki | funfact.wiki
Ancient Romanconcrete lasts 2,000 years by healing itself. In 2023 MIT found the lime specks in it were deliberate, not careless. When water enters a crack, the lime dissolves into calcium that reacts with CO2, sealing it as Calcium carbonate.
In 2011, France had to destroy an armored vehicle in a Libyan city. Their fix: a 300 kg concrete bomb — a casing of concrete, not explosives. No blast, no shrapnel; the GPS-guided block smashed the vehicle on impact. The USA had used the trick in Iraqi no-fly zones since the 1990s.
The British Empire—the largest in history, covering a quarter of Earth's land and people—never had an emperor. In Europe, the title required Roman Empire succession, but Britain had no Roman ties, and Henry VIII's split with the Pope sealed the impossibility.