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TIL about Japan’s 5pm bell, or national emergency broadcast system, that plays music each day at a specific time for over 90% of the country. The music is actually a daily test to ensure the system can inform residents of any major disasters (i.e. tsunami, industrial accident).

Read more japantimes.co.jp

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0d8MA TIL In 1833, Britain used 40% of its national budget to pass the Slavery Abolition Act. The British government borrowed £20 million to compensate slave owners, but nothing was paid to the enslaved people themselves. The loan was one of the largest in history and wasn't paid off until 2015.
KOxaJ TIL the chemical reaction in glow sticks was discovered by Dr. Edwin Chandross in 1962, but he had no idea the "chemiluminescent" objects were popular at music shows until a Vice interview in 2013. "Is that so?" he said. "Maybe my granddaughter will think I'm cool now."
VG1m TIL research suggests that one giant container ship can emit almost the same amount of cancer and asthma-causing chemicals as 50 million cars, while the top 15 largest container ships together may be emitting as much pollution as all 760 million cars on earth.
1Dy8 TIL that a few hundred years back, women in Turkey could legally divorce their husbands if he didn’t provide them with enough coffee.
4XLYR TIL The dog days of summer are named for the period that Sirius, the dog star, returns to the night sky in the Northern Hemisphere. Many ancient astronomers believed Sirius, the brightest star visible from earth, augmented the Sun’s heat.