› added 11 years ago

71

TIL that every year in ancient Athens, citizens could vote to banish ANY person from the city-state for 10 years.

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E0NP TIL Texas oil tycoon Jim West used to throw handfuls of silver dollars around just to see people scramble for them.
v1Oj4 TIL in 2013 police busted a meat packing plant in Guangxi, China that was selling 20 tons of chicken meat slaughtered in 1967. It had been treated with hydrogen peroxide to make it look presentable in markets and stores.
LnY0 TIL before the 1800s, people had “first” and “second sleep”. They would sleep 3-4 hours, wake up for 2-3 hours to do some type of activity, then go back to sleep until morning.
xLWb TIL Thirty-six armed dolphins trained by the U.S. Navy to kill terrorists have been missing since 2005. The dolphins carry “toxic dart guns” capable of killing a man in a single shot.
69GKl TIL in 1970, 20 percent of all girls participating in high school sports across the country were in Iowa. By 1976, a few years after the passage of Title IX, that eye-popping 20 percent fell to 5.8 percent.