› added 8 years ago

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TIL that after visiting the Three Mile Island nuclear plant’s accident in 1979, Jimmy Carter—trained in nuclear power from the US Navy—told his cabinet that the incident was minor. The president did not say so in public, however, to avoid offending fellow Democrats who opposed nuclear power.

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R7mO9 TIL about Precordial Catch Syndrome (AKA Texidor's Twinge), which is when someone gets a sharp stabbing pain in the side of their chest for a few moments, then it disappears with no lasting effects. Why this happens is unclear
M7XX8 TIL During the American Revolutionary War the French had to defend their trading posts from the British since French allied themselves with the American colonists revolting against the British Empire, forcing Indians to fight amongst each other in India in a civil war over the trading posts.
6gaX TIL that it’s illegal for kids 16 and under in South Korea to play video games past midnight
Y76pv TIL: That there is an area of the UK simply referred to as the "Black Country". It's said that the Black Country gained its name in the mid 19th century from the smoke from the many thousands of ironworks and forges. The term is used as a marketing tool to sell and promote the West Midlands.
69QWX TIL: The autocorrect feature in Excel, which converts certain combinations into dates, has mangled up to 30% of published papers, causing significant issues. As a result, at least 27 gene symbols have been forced to change to prevent further errors from occurring.