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TIL 76% of Vietnamese people share only 6 surnames, with a full 38% of them having the surname Nguyen

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xoV1 TIL That in 14 years and 14 seasons of trying to become the greatest Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum has still never gotten past the semi-finals of the Pokemon League.
mXaY TIL more than 2,500 of the 3,250 crosswalk buttons in New York City function essentially as mechanical placebos. They haven’t worked since the late 1980’s.
Y6LB TIL that It’s a crime to mime in China
R7w0l TIL: Ancients measured long distances by hiring "bematists." They were trained to count steps while walking between locations and could measure hundreds of miles with 95%+ accuracy. Eratosthenes used one to calculate the circumference of the Earth within 15% in 240 B.C.E.
xBPw TIL Congressman James Traficant was indicted for allegedly taking more than a $100K in bribes during his campaign for county sheriff. At trial, Traficant claimed that he was simply trying to infiltrate the Mafia. “I got inside of the Mob,” he insisted, adding, “I fucked the Mob.” He was acquitted.