› added 4 years ago

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TIL that China's percentage of the world population has actually been decreasing for two centuries now. In 1800 it was almost 40% - about twice as high as it is today.

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E1Mkd TIL the DNA Doe Project has helped identify over 24 victims. Some families receive closure after 20+ years. Victims range from a bootlegger found in 1979 to a woman thrown from a truck in 2017. The volunteers work from donations. You can also help by submitting your DNA results to GEDmatch.
mjGO TIL that when Parliament passed the Tea Act in 1773 it made the price of the tea (even with the tax included) cheaper than the competing smuggled Dutch tea. Americans refused to buy the cheaper tea because to do so would recognize Parliament’s right to tax the colonies.
mxNBM TIL King Louis IX, who died today in 1270, is the only French monarch venerated as a saint. He invited beggars to eat with him at his table daily, and replaced trial by combat with evidence-based trials.
R7lXa TIL light bulbs in the New York City subway system screw in "backwards" (i.e. with left-handed threads) so people won't steal them to use at home.
RL9w TIL that “Beats by Dre” headphones, which sell for as much as $450, only cost about $14 to make.