› added 2 months ago

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TIL that in China during the Ming and Qing dynasties, maritime trading was banned to combat piracy. Back then, outsiders could only trade through Macau, but after the Opium Wars, the policy was relaxed.

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KOQZ9 TIL: If your vehicle’s “check engine light” remains constantly lit, the problem is not likely an emergency. However, a flashing “check engine light” usually indicates a severe engine misfire allowing raw fuel to enter the exhaust system. This can cause major damage and requires immediate servicing.
jNOKE TIL: Big circles of brick set in the pavement of some San Francisco intersections aren't meant as old-timey street decoration. They mark buried emergency water tanks in case the city ever catches fire again. They were put in after The Great Fire of 1906 (the big earthquake then broke water mains).
rRde4 TIL the nazi Sieg Heil was ridiculed by some people. Since "heil" is also the imperative of the German verb "heilen" ("to heal"), a common joke in Nazi Germany was to reply with "Is he sick?", "Am I a doctor?", or "You heal him!"
pK7A TIL in 1996, Mike Tyson paid an aide $300,000 whose sole function was to dress in fatigues and shout ‘guerrilla warfare’ at press conferences
Z858D TIL of Project X-Ray. This cancelled World War 2 weapon, when deployed, would disperse Mexican free-tailed bats carrying small incendiary bombs. The bats would then roost onto buildings before igniting. It was intended to be used in Japan, were many buildings were made of wood and paper.