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TIL Independent Chinese families are classified accordingly to their stove. In the case of a father's death, the eldest son inherits the stove and the younger brothers transfer the coals to their own new stoves. This invites the Stove god to join their new households and is called "pun chu".

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JPPV TIL China is building a car-free city from scratch for 80,000 residents - it “will use 48% less energy and 58% less water than a more conventional city of the same size; it will also produce 89% less landfill waste and generate 60% less carbon dioxide.”
PYlmw TIL Christopher Lee was the only member of the L.O.T.R. cast who personally met Tolkien. Tolkien gave him the blessing to play Gandalf but Lee's ability to play villains later convinced Peter Jackson to offer him the role of Saruman.
wNZE TIL that McArthur Wheeler robbed two banks after covering his face with lemon juice in the mistaken belief that, because lemon juice is usable as invisible ink, it would prevent his face from being recorded on surveillance cameras.
VMPOk TIL about transparent wood, wood material with over 90% transparency that is significantly more bio-degradable than glass and plastics. It is also shatterproof, making it viable for short-term commercial use. One drawback would be its bio-degradability, making it unsuited for long-term use.
mxDYO TIL that "We'll meet again", the song from the final scene of Dr Strangelove, would have also been used by the BBC Radio for "morale-boosting" in the aftermath of a nuclear war.