› added 3 months ago

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TIL The Ottoman Empire forcibly kidnapped Christian boys from their families, converted them to Islam, and forced them to serve the Sultan

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NVZM TIL after the french revolution, France briefly used a new calendar based on a decimal system; 10 days a week, 10 hours a day, 100 minutes per hour and 100 seconds per minute, and starting at Year 1.
4vKN TIL 95% of the world’s ATMs are running on Windows XP
lobRK TIL that along with 20 people, two dogs were accused of witchcraft and executed by hanging during the Salem Witch Trials
dPgQ TIL William Still, the father of the Underground Railroad, interviewed and kept records of every escaped slave he came across. Once, while interviewing a man, he discovered that the man was actually his long-lost brother.
woZo6 TIL that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was founded by a comedian. He was struggling financially and vowed that if he ever became successful, he’d build a shrine to the patron saint of hopeless causes.