› added 4 years ago

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TIL that 6 nations in the EU have banned the wearing of the traditional Islamic burka (similar to hijab) mostly on grounds that it is a cultural clash.

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B4jb TIL Russians don’t smile as often because for them a smile is the sign of personal sympathy, but not politeness
OGoQ4 TIL that collecting orchids was so popular among the Victorians that it had a name - "orchidelirium." Orchids would often die after collection due to lack of knowledge about their cultivation. The craze reduced after international trade in wild orchids was banned in 1973.
QwV6 TIL that the Voynich Manuscript obeys the law of Zipf, making it very plausible that it’s either derived from a real language or is an incredibly advanced hoax.
l8V1 TIL the Nigerian money scams we recieve via email date as far back as the 1830s when they were attempted via post.
4ka1X TIL that the Panopticon prison design used centrally positioned guards to create the illusion of constant surveillance, ensuring low-cost control over inmates behavior