› added 3 years ago

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TIL that Texas v. Johnson (1989), the landmark SCOTUS case that upheld the right to burn an American flag as protected speech under the 1st Amendment, was wildly unpopular with the public. 75% of Americans disagreed with the decision, and two thirds supported outlawing flag burning via amendment.

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6EKPX TIL that the British Standards Institute produced a 5000+ word report on how to make a perfect cup of tea, including implements and equipment, ideal temperature and when to add milk.
7rvYx TIL The 737 airliner used to have a switch to easily disable a runaway autopilot. The 737 MAX replaced this switch with one that was useless because it wired the pilot's control into the same switch.
vPMbR TIL why geese often seem fearless and aggressive towards humans. It's not just random meanness – they lose their natural wariness due to habituation (getting used to us) and fiercely defend their territory, especially when nesting
wRv6 TIL of Julie D’Aubigny who was a 17th century bisexual French opera singer and fencing master who fought and won at least ten life-or-death duels, performed nightly shows on the biggest opera stage in the world and once took the Holy Orders just so that she could sneak into a convent and shag a nun.
OPP7 TIL Rolling Stone gave many artists bad reviews, then changed to good reviews after they became famous. Examples include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, The Beach Boys, Nirvana, Weezer, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Outkast and also Queen.