› added 11 years ago

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TIL Ronald Reagan was instrumental in passing the Assault Weapons ban in 1994 and was a major proponent of gun control after the assassination attempt on his life.

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rR5Vx TIL that despite a highly successful Kickstarter, the revival of Reading Rainbow was prevented by a legal challenge by its original TV station.
GYaE1 TIL Systemic Lupus Erythematosus got its original name of Lupus from a 12th century physician, who recognized and named it after the now classic butterfly rash.
XEWoX TIL Fidel Castro was obsessed with Cow Genetics and Breeding. In 1982, he successfully bred Ubre Blanca, who broke the world record for most milk produced in one day. When the cow died in 1985, the State Media published a front page obituary and the postal service issued stamps in her honor.
LkjyV TIL that, contrary to popular belief, friction is not the primary cause of spacecraft heating up on re-entry. Rather, the heat comes from the air in front of the craft being highly compressed. This is also why the leading edges get the hottest.
R7mg6 TIL that a former Canadian senator once read the entirety of a book he authored during a filibuster, allegedly to have it translated for free by the official parliament translator