› added 9 years ago

146

TIL: From having lived and worked in China, President Herbert Hoover and his wife were fluent in Mandarin Chinese, and would frequently have conversations in the language to prevent their staff from eavesdropping.

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jpxj TIL that scientists kept a species of fruit fly in complete darkness for 57 years (1400 generations), showing genetic alterations that occur as a result of environmental conditions.
l96K TIL that King James I of Scotland was trapped in a drain and killed because it was blocked to prevent the loss of tennis balls.
vPmPL TIL that expensive weddings are directly linked to higher divorce rates.
W7Y8X TIL Though the gangster John Gotti was nicknamed 'The Teflon Don' for his ability to dodge criminal charges his violent and public tactics led to the arrests of many Gambino crime family members. Gotti was convicted in 1992 and by the 2000 half of the Gambino made men were behind bars.
vWBD TIL the two African-American athletes who gave the Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympics were also shoeless during the protest. This was to represent black poverty.