› added 9 years ago

188

TIL that once officially labelled as retarded, Russian orphans are warehoused for life in psychoneurological institutions, receive little to no education, and are often physically restrained and neglected.

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XElQQ TIL that in New York State you don't need a law degree to be a judge. Across NY 61% of local judges are not lawyers, and in the North Country region 85% of local judges are not lawyers!
yQ6Jw TIL of the Pamir, the last commercial sailing ship, operated until 1957
XEmK8 TIL of “The Custom of the Sea,” an old tradition among sailors where in dire circumstances, such as being stranded at sea and on the verge of starvation, the remaining sailors would all draw straws and whoever drew the shortest would then be killed and eaten to ensure the survival of the others.
JpAQ TIL a deaf man was moving some boxes at a friend’s house when Hawthorne, CA police arrived suspecting he was robbing the home. When the man tried to use American Sign language to tell the cops he was deaf, he was tased and beaten unconscious, then charged with assault (charges were later dropped)
a8DaN TIL Edith Piaf's team and peers originally deemed "La Vie en Rose" weaker than other songs she was working in, and she set it aside for a year before changing her mind and deciding to record it, and then it became the song that made her internationally famous.