› added 1 month ago

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TIL that the term "Middle East" was invented by the British in the 1850s then popularized by the US naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan in 1902. The term was used to describe the region between Egypt and India, two areas Britain colonized. Before then, the term "Near East" was used.

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xV4gB TIL The space shuttle creates an electrostatic large charge on launch which is a reason why lightning is so dangerous for a launch.
nPO7 TIL Ontario Canada has a law that states an apology is not an admission of guilt
1aLRW TIL Microwave power settings don't actually adjust the power levels. The magnetron simply turns on and off in cycles to allow heat to be radiated throughout the food.
7ylM TIL Electricity was introduced to Ethiopia in 1896 after Emperor Menelik II ordered two newly invented electric chairs as a form of humane capital punishment and realized they were useless in his country without electricity
OovvL TIL that Immanuel Kant promoted "scientific" racism, giving a hierarchy of four races: white Europeans "always advance to perfection", yellow Asians "can never reach the level of abstract concepts", black Africans "can be educated but only as servants", and red Amerindians "cannot be educated"