› added 2 years ago

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TIL for 50+ years, Australian children in the outback attended school via shortwave radio and sent homework via air mail due to the distance between homes. "Schools of the Air" were many children's first social experience outside their families; its quality equaled or surpassed traditional schools'.

Zpmgv TIL about the “Dunny man” who would come late at night to empty the toilets in Australian out-houses. He’d hoist the filled drum up on his shoulder, carry it away and replace it with a new one.
PANZ TIL the less you sleep, the more your genes contribute to how much you weigh. The more you sleep, the less your genes determine your weight, and the more control you can have over your weight.
Y6K7 TIL that Steven Bradbury won a gold medal in 2002 Salt Lake City Olimpycs in speed skating, because everyone in front of him crashed. 3 races in a row.
J8Ll TIL the shortest correspondence in history was between novelist Victor Hugo and his publisher, after the publication of Les Miserables. Wishing to learn how sales were going, Hugo sent a telegram with only one character. “?”. As the book had already sold out, the publisher responded: “!”
yQaQX TIL the phrase "running amok" comes from a folk sickness in Malay/Indonesian cultures in which a man with no violent history will attempt to kill anyone he encounters in a sudden frenzy. It is thought an evil tiger spirit entered his body, therefore no ill will is held towards the man afterwards.