› added 1 year ago

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TIL that in the 60's the Italian Ministry of Education broadcasted a TV show titled "It’s Never Too Late", aimed to teach older people how to read and write. An estimate of 1.5 million people got their elementary school diploma thanks to it.

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R59J6 TIL that the US Government once experimented with seeding clouds to weaken hurricanes (Project Stormfury), ultimately learning that their method was just duplicating a process which already occurs naturally (eyewall replacement).
YpK0B TIL that chihuahuas are named after a place in mexico
Al54 TIL in 1986 an actual ‘cloud of death’ swept through an area of Cameroon, suddenly asphyxiating everything in its path, including 4 villages, 1,700 people and 3,500 livestock
W4N TIL that in 1929 firemen in Gillingham, England planned to show off their abilities by “rescuing” nine boys and six firemen from a house. All fifteen died.
pYrLb TIL gerrymandering is named after a famous case where an 1812 district signed into law by Massachusetts Governor, Elbridge Gerry, resembled a salamander. A political cartoon published in the Boston Gazette dubbed it the "Gerry-mander".