› added 4 years ago

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TIL there is a dialect of Arabic that isn't naturally spoken anywhere, but which is understandable to all speakers of Arabic. While people from Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen or Syria might not understand each other, they can understand the same news report.

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M1xB TIL women were not the first choice as telephone operators. Prior to September 1, 1878, when a woman named Emma Nutt became the first female operator, boys were the preferred choice. It soon became apparent, however, that boys would insult, curse at, and prank the customers.
nolr TIL that the biggest scale infiltration of the US government was done by Scientologists to destroy all negative evidence of their creator L. Ron Hubbard. Even with successful prosecution, they are still considered a valid religion and not a terrorist organization.
ANg4l TIL that in Singapore, one would require a permit to own a car known as the Certificate of Entitlement (COE), often costing as much as the vehicle itself, if not more. Introduced in 1990, its implementation is largely due to regulate the growth of cars in the country.
xVlQ0 TIL after she was burned at the stake, Joan of Arcs brothers hired an imposter so they could collect on her good name fraudulently.
ven8 TIL that a Minnesota action park lets you drive surplus military tanks and other armored vehicles around an old limestone quarry and smash junk cars and drive through trailer houses.