› added 1 year ago

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TIL: That two days before Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, the BBC was taken off air with little warning, the last programme to be shown being a Mickey Mouse cartoon. The government was concerned that the VHF transmissions would act as a a beacon to enemy aircraft that could bomb London.

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D1WXp TIL the United States is just one of the only nations which can experience complete government shutdowns. Most other governments have failsafes in position that either activate stopgap financing or trigger an election if a budget plan is not passed.
BrnkL TIL that in Albanian there is a tradition of blood feuds called "Gjakmarra", that requires murder to preserve family honor. The feuds may continue for generations. Those who choose not to pay with their lives may live in shame and seclusion for the rest of their lives, imprisoned in their homes.
d8OE7 TIL Torakusa Yamaha founded Yamaha in 1887 due to his obsession with western technology and science. After successfully fixing a school’s reed organ, he realized the business opportunity of instrument brand, since at the time there were no Japanese makers of Western instruments
wgm1 TIL a man kayaked from Germany to Australia between 1932-1939 only to arrive and be detained as a POW due to the outbreak of WW2
e0lkb TIL famous mathematician Paul Erdos was once challenged to quit taking amphetamines for one month by a concerned friend. He succeeded, but complained “You’ve showed me I’m not an addict, but I didn’t get any work done…you’ve set mathematics back a month”.