› added 11 years ago

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TIL that, unlike other professions in the USA, members of the Clergy can opt-out from Social Security, and 30% do. Many who opt-out from paying into the system have been let back in to collect benefits when they retire.

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via reddit.com

b9Lrp TIL the early Essex class carriers of WWII had a bizarre hangar deck catapult across the lower deck of the ship in order to launch scout planes out the side of the ship.
Zx4R TIL that Pierce Brosnan was contractually forbidden from wearing a full tuxedo in any non-James Bond movie from 1995-2002
epwwE TIL that OMEGA, Olympic Games official timekeepers and scorers since 1932, had asked organizers before the 1976 Games whether the scoreboards needed to accommodate four digits. They were told it was not necessary. As a result, when Nadia Comaneci performed a perfect routine, the timer showed 1.00.
Jw6m TIL that a small portion of the population can voluntarily control their tensor tympani muscle, causing a low rumble in the ear.
p89we TIL that despite the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Bombing of Tokyo was even worse. Over 100,000 people were killed, several times that number injured, and 1,000,000 displaced in a napalm-filled, incendiary bomb attack by 334, low-flying B-29 bombers.