› added 11 years ago

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TIL ‘The Guinness Book of World Records’ holds the world record for the best-selling copyrighted book of all time

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xBg TIL that Arabic numerals were not invented by Arabs, but by Indian mathematicians
a8jMM TIL that during WWII, the U.S. referred to uranium from the Shinkolobwe mine in the Belgian Congo as 'gems' and removed the mine from maps to maintain secrecy for the Manhattan Project
DQggY TIL the embalmed head of moral philosopher Jeremy Bentham was kidnapped in 1975 by University College London students, who demanded a £100 ransom for charity. The university offered £10. The head was returned.
PYoQg TIL that F1 teams don’t own their tires, and at the end of each race teams have to return the tires to Pirelli. Even used tires must be returned to prevent industrial espionage.
PPkO TIL the children left in the countryside by China’s migrant workers are targeted for sexual abuse: on the occasion that a rape case makes it to court, the victim is awarded as little as $15 in damages