› added 7 years ago

419

TIL Monopoly was originally a game designed to warn against the power of landlords and how they could make money for essentially doing nothing. It was a warning against unbridled capitalism and the wealth inequality it creates.

Read more vice.com

via ift.tt

MeKaa TIL the phrase "dung-wet" (meaning very wet) was considered "obsolete" by the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1st edition (1897) but the phrase was unexpectedly found on Twitter, having survived to present day by speakers of Carribean English.
b6JO4 TIL When Jane Elizabeth Manning James, an early black Mormon (LDS Church) member, died in 1908, then Church President Joseph Smith spoke at her funeral, where he declared that she would receive all her temple blessings in the eternities and become a "white and beautiful person."
ggl4 TIL that a musician was so unhappy with the music in airports that he recorded “Ambient 1: Music for Airports” intended to serve as a soundtrack for air travelers.
rNmkM TIL that Oliver Law was the first African American to lead US troops into war during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), as part of the Lincoln volunteer batalion
nW5rr TIL about Toki Pona, a minimalist constructed language with only 120 to 139 words, designed to simplify thought and emphasize joy. It uses cute pictograms, allows for creative expression, and despite its simplicity, has thousands of speakers worldwide.