› added 13 years ago

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TIL there is a serious dispute as to the proper name for the body of water commonly called the Persian Gulf, and that Iran takes it so seriously that they deny airspace to commercial airlines unless they officially acknowledge Iran’s preferred name for it.

awZ4A TIL The prototype of the Rolls Royce Ghost was so quiet inside that it made test drivers sick. The engineers had to remove some of the noise isolating material, and create seats that vibrated at specific frequencies to introduce some noise into the interior.
gDM7 TIL the first female Athenian doctor had to dress as a man in order to get her education and practice medicine because being a female doctor was a capital crime, but when she became the most popular doctor in town among women in her male guise, the other doctors accused her of seducing her patients.
6V1J TIL Otto von Bismarck predicted World War I twenty years before it happend, and Germany’s downfall and defeat, almost to the month
DQYMg TIL that during the 17th century, coffeehouses were so popular in England that they were often referred to as "Penny Universities". For the price of a penny, one could buy a cup of coffee and engage in stimulating conversation on a wide range of topics, from politics to literature.
J1bVv TIL Los Angeles, like most Latin American cities, has a pintoresque downtown square plaza with a church across where the city was founded by the Spaniards. It's called Plaza Olvera and Our Lady Queen of Angels Church.