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TIL that a bakers dozen is comprised of 13 because in medieval England there were laws that related the price of bread to the price of the wheat used to make it. Bakers caught cheating customers by overpricing undersized loaves were punished. For fear of coming up short, they would throw in extra.

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0wxO5 TIL: Swing music never really fell out of popularity, it was shut down by ASCAP in 1941. ASCAP demanded more royalties from broadcasters- they refused. ASCAP banned their repertoire and demanded preapproval of set lists and written solos for live broadcasts. This effectively ended the Swing Era.
wdmE TIL that almost everything about Koko the gorilla’s signing ability is a hoax. Her signs are nearly gibberish, and her handlers “interpret” everything she says and try to construct meaning from them. She has zero support from scientists and linguists for this reason.
4kra6 TIL: Teddy Roosevelt was VP due to his support of anti-trust reform, and conservatives knew the VP had little power. Six months into the term, President McKinley was assassinated and Roosevelt became President, ushering in an unprecedented era of anti-trust and labor reforms.
rply TIL Konami had a sense of humor dealing with Nintendo piracy. If Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III senses it isn’t an authentic copy the game silently reduces the damage the player deals out, doubles the damage they take, and makes Shredder immortal.
VBZVD TIL the Honjo Masamune, considered one of the finest Japanese swords ever made, was taken by US forces after WW2 and never seen again