› added 4 months ago

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TIL the statue atop the US Capitol building was going to have a liberty cap (the old Roman symbol of an emancipated slave), but future Confederate President Jefferson Davis made the sculptor remove it.

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J1Mj8 TIL Karate (唐手道) originally, literally meant the Way of the Tang Hand (Chinese fist), it was later renamed to 空手道 (also pronounced Karate), meaning Way of the Empty Hand (Unarmed fist) as recently as 1905 because Japan wanted to culturally distance itself from China as it was invading the country
Z8aGv TIL that laparoscopic surgeons who played video games performed faster and better compared to their non-gaming counterparts.
b9LB0 TIL that cities used to have 'ugly laws.' People were fined $1 to $50 per day if they were deemed 'too ugly' to go out in public. The last Ugly Law wasn't rescinded in Chicago until 1974.
epOWg TIL about Ajaokuta steel plant; The $8 billion Dollar Steel Plant, That Has Never Produced any Steel
D1REv TIL that in 1823 Martin Van Buren's vice president proposed in the US Senate that the government fund an expedition to the center of the Earth. His "pet project" was soundly defeated, garnering 25 votes total.