› added 5 years ago

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TIL about Harald Hardrada. Exiled for 15 years after losing to Cnut The Great, he was a mercenary for the Kievan Rus', joined the Varangian Guard, became King of Norway and died at Stamford Bridge, ending the Viking Age.

WkoML TIL that the International System of Units is expected to receive its first overhaul since 1960 in November 2018 - changing the kilogram, ampere, kelvin, and mole to be defined by observable constants - thus making SI wholly derivable from natural phenomena as originally envisioned
awOx9 TIL the former Bloods and Crips gang leaders made peace with each other and started an organization to promote peace in their communities. They’re now training former gang members and community leaders to help younger generations.
14pr TIL a federal court in California ruled earlier this year that a lawsuit against Facebook can proceed. The suit claims Facebook is illegally collecting biometric data from people “tagged” in photos posted by other users.
e0Ga6 TIL Grant & Lee met again in 1869, 4 years after the American Civil War at the White House when Grant was President of the U.S. and Lee president of Washington University. Grant cracked a joke at Lee about railroads but Lee refused to smile. Their meeting was brief, lasting 15 minutes.
69Y48 TIL that salt was used to preserve mummies. They used natron, a salt mix (including table salt) to dehydrate and disinfect them. Natron was quite the hit, and had many many uses: soap, teeth cleanser, mouthwash, insecticide and more