X0R6D TIL about Tau (τ), a mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its radius, that in 2010 was proposed to be the replacement of π.
OGmyY TIL that there were counterclockwise clocks.
69O6X TIL Giacomo Casanova held audience with many rulers, including George III, Catherine the great, Frederick the Great, Charles III, and also received the papal order of the golden spur from Pope Clement XIII
woQZo TIL in early 2005, the Blu-ray Disc Association and DVD Forum attempted to negotiate a compromise to avoid a costly format war between Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. The negotiations proceeded slowly and ultimately stalled. In August, they confirmed the negotiations to unify their standards had failed.
R5Q47 TIL High and Low German are named to describe the ALTITUDE their spoken at (highlands or lowlands).
W7WwY TIL that, at one time, there were two currencies operating in India (The Indian National Rupee, and the Hyderabadi Rupee). The Hyderabadi Rupee (better known as "Osmania Sicca") was the currency of the Hyderabad State from 1918 to 1959. It co-existed with the Indian rupee from 1950.
9we4G TIL about the hobble skirt, a short-lived fashion trend where the wearer's stride was impeded. They were directly responsible for several deaths. The fashion only lasted from about 1908 to 1914.
nW1Jb TIL about perfidy, the deceptive tactic of feigning surrender or death with the intent to kill an enemy. It is prohibited by the Geneva Convention and considered a war crime.
4kwv5 TIL Tipper Gore launched Parents Music Resource Center, the music ‘censorship’ group responsible for the ‘Parental Advisory Explicit Content’ label in response to the Prince song Darling Nikki, which doesn’t contain any swear words
x6xbw TIL experiments by Benjamin Libet found that the brain begins preparing actions about 300 milliseconds before a person becomes consciously aware of deciding to act.
5V6mp TIL of the telephone-pole beetle, which is the only living member of an otherwise extinct family. Normally they never mature to adulthood, as females are capable of asexual reproduction while in the larval form, which is part of why they have one of the most complex life cycles among all beetles.
M7vRa TIL The Gospel of Wealth, an essay written by Andrew Carnegie, launched the modern philanthropic movement. He believed the best way of dealing with wealth inequality was for the rich to utilize their money in a thoughtful manner and not in a way that encourages "the slothful, drunken, & unworthy".