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TIL the “Asexualization Act” of 1909 gave the go-ahead for California to sterilize more than 20,000 men and women against their will

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xVdR7 TIL The Russian famine of 1921 and 1922, primarily affecting the Volga and Ural River regions, got so bad that people would resort to cannibalism and even sell their children.
6K9J TIL that a cat named Simon served on a Royal Navy ship in 1949, and received a medal for raising morale, killing off a rat infestation and surviving cannon shells during his service. Hundreds attended his funeral when he died from infected wounds.
Onl7 TIL that while filming “Schindler’s List,” Steven Spielberg would put Robin Williams on speaker phone to cheer up the cast and crew.
jdon TIL a mile in America is about 3.2 millimetres longer than in the rest of the world.
NmAE TIL that the southern United States converted all its railroads from broad gauge (5 feet/1.524 meters) to standard gauge (4 feet 8 1⁄2 inches/​1.435 meters) in 36 hours starting on May 31, 1886