› added 1 year ago

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TIL: There are several studies that prove heterosexual men act differently around women, but in unexpected ways. Men are more likely to jaywalk, wait until the last second to dash onto a bus, take more risks while gambling, volunteer/donate more, etc. The effects are strongest in single young men.

LQ5vV TIL that some New England towns had a tradition of electing a black representative, where slave owners would grant a day off for slaves to participate in the festivities. These officials often served as parodies of elected white leaders, but others acted as reputable liaisons in race relations.
6gXl TIL that George Lucas’s original plans for a Star Wars sequel trilogy would have Hamill, Fisher, and Harrison portraying their characters “sixty or seventy years old”. Currently the actors are 61, 56, and 70, respectively.
KYAbJ TIL: About Queen Radavalona I, "The Mad Monarch of Madagascar". She enforced isolationist policies, hunted down Christians, repelled the French, and made tax payments payable through forced labor. She eliminated her mom by starvation to not spill her own blood. The population dropped in half.
XElOP TIL that in 2006, Mattel's "Furryville" toyline drew ire from real life nurses for naming their duck nurse character "Nurse Quacktitioner", alleging a "medical quack". Despite Mattel pointing out that "ducks quack", the toy was eventually pulled.
PYxbZ TIL A 170-person Swiss infantry unit once got lost during training exercises and inadvertently crossed 1.5km into Liechtenstein. The Swiss army later informed Liechtenstein of the incursion and offered official apologies, to which a ministry spokesperson responded, "No problem, these things happen."