› added 11 years ago

126

TIL law enforcement and the entire concept of a ‘police force’ is a very new historical concept. Outside of private guards and community vigilantism, policing did not even exist until 1707 in Great Britain - and it was 1829 before police were established in London.

grlGA TIL that in the late 1800s, many farmers in the American midwest believed that strong vibrations in the air helped rainclouds form, akin to shaking the branches of a wet tree. This led many to set off dynamite explosives at high altitudes in order to bring rain for their crops.
R7Xm1 TIL since Queen Elizabeth I didn't rule over Scotland, Scottish people protested against the title of Queen Elizabeth II by vandalising post boxes
YpXXA TIL Pearl Jam discovered Ticketmaster was adding a service charge to all their concert tickets without informing the band. The band then created their own outdoor stadiums for the fans and testified against Ticketmaster to the United States Department of Justice
JYOlv TIL that, since the 1300's, the pronoun "thou" was actually considered more informal and even derogatory than the pronoun "you." This is also why its usage began declining in the 17th century; it was considered "impolite."
R7Jo1 TIL The Maluku Islands were the world's sole source of nutmeg, cloves, and mace. The islands were occupied by the Portuguese, Dutch, French, English, and Dutch again. During a British occupation spice tree seedlings were stolen and taken to British colonies thus depreciating the islands' value.