› added 11 years ago

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TIL that U.S. schoolchildren used to say the Pledge of Allegiance using the “Bellamy salute” (more recognizably the salute used by Hitler and the Nazis). In order to prevent further confusion or controversy, US Congress instituted the hand-over-the-heart gesture.

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via reddit.com

awBa9 TIL Obsidian Blades are so sharp that they can cut cells and DNA. They are used are used in modern medicine because the sharp blades create incisions which heal faster.
M7VpK TIL Missouri, United States has a Single Man Tax (bachelor tax): Single men between the ages of 21 and 50 must pay a $1 annual tax. The law was enacted in 1820, presumably to encourage more men to marry.
ndb9 TIL Paul McCartney, a Weird Al Yankovic fan, refused Yankovic permission to record a parody of Wings’ “Live and Let Die”, titled “Chicken Pot Pie”, because McCartney didn’t want to condone eating meat.
jvVa TIL according to MIT the toughest tongue twister is: “Pad kid poured curd pulled cod”
X6jk TIL in 1993 a Missouri man purposely damaged a levee on the Mississippi river to delay his wife coming home from work so he could party. Instead the river flooded 14,000 acres. He was later arrested and convicted of causing a catastrophe and sentenced to life in prison.