› added 11 years ago

106

TIL Costa Rica has no army, it abolished it in 1949

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Oov51 TIL the boardgame, Clue (North America), is actually called Cluedo in much of the rest of the world!
xVBZ1 TIL that the Allied Forces had planned to bomb the Toyota factory but the company was saved by the end of WWII
4QBb TIL Americans exchange diamond rings because in 1938 De Beers decided that they would like us to. This is due to a stunningly successful marketing campaign in 1938. Not only is the demand for diamonds a marketing invention, but diamonds aren’t actually that rare.
VBw4p TIL that Henry Cavendish, a scientist whose work led to Ohm's law, measured current by noting how strong a shock he felt as he completed the circuit with his body.
N7ZgM TIL that in the 19th century, America was notorious for exporting adulterated food and counterfeiting European products, similar to how China is regarded by the West today.