› added 11 months ago

51

TIL: That the Beijing Weather Modification Office were enlisted by the Chinese government to ensure that the 2008 Summer Olympics were free of rain, by breaking up clouds headed towards the capital and forcing them to drop rain on outlying areas instead.

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e0R4E TIL that the Fallout mascot isn’t giving a thumbs up. He’s testing to see if he’s within the radiation zone. The government used to instruct citizens to test if the mushroom cloud is larger than their thumbs. If it is, they are in the radiation zone and should evacuate.
MebbW TIL in American slang a "sawbuck" is ten dollars due to the shape of the Roman numeral X.
rRx7e TIL that Dr. Spock the noted Child Psychologist won an Olympic gold medal in rowing at the Paris Olympics 1924.
BgvNe TIL, White Horse Temple, the first Buddhist temple in China, was desecrated heavily during the Cultural Revolution. At the same time, when the King of Cambodia requested to visit the temple, the Chinese authorities quickly restored it including placing artefacts from other museums in the temple.
1Ykr TIL that Marlon Brando refused his Oscar for The Godfather as a show of support for the native Americans in the film industry.