› added 8 years ago

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TIL That elderly people in Britain get a free TV licence so that their TV can act as a companion and reduce loneliness

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via reddit.com

PYBEJ TIL on the day he was assassinated by revolutionary nihilists, Alexander II of Russia had signed a ukaz establishing elected positions for commoners in the Tsardom. This edict was immediately dissolved by his son, who went on to consolidate and expand the Tsar's power in Russia.
D1G8D TIL about Banjawarn station in Western Australia, once owned by the Japanese cult responsible for the 1995 sarin subway attacks. They used the extremely remote property to experiment with chemical weapons and due to an unexplained seismic event some believe they detonated a nuclear bomb.
knpE TIL that ‘Disc’ refers to optical media (such as a CD) whereas 'Disk’ refers to magnetic media (such as a hard drive)
VXjG TIL the website hampsterdance.com was created in 1998 as a result of a competition between two Canadian sisters to see who could generate the most traffic and is one of the earliest examples of an internet meme.
m1xAO TIL Ted Turner created his own alternative to the Olympics, the Goodwill Games, and Turner believed international sporting competitions would prevent future wars. The Games lasted from 1986 to 2001 and featured the first major international beach volleyball event.