› added 8 years ago

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TIL that the Soviet Union cancelled history exams in 1988 because increased government transparency had revealed that the textbooks were filled with lies

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via reddit.com

KjVa TIL that “Cosmic Latte” is the name assigned to the average color of the universe.
M744a TIL Starting as a joke, a Duke university researcher brought a portable scanning electron microscope into her home. Then the organization realized it wasn't a bad idea as she used it for virtual outreach activities
4XMyN TIL Zubaz, the popular 1990's zebra-stripe pattern pants, were originally designed for hardcore weightlifters that couldn’t find pants or shorts that comfortably fit their massive thighs
5Y98k TIL that in January 2014, seven-year-old Charlotte Benjamin sent a handwritten letter to Lego complaining there were "more Lego boy people and barely any Lego girls". In June 2014, Lego announced a new "Research Institute" collection featuring female scientists which sold out within a week.
p8RKe TIL of Redoshi, a woman believed to have been the last survivor of the transatlantic slave trade. She was captured in 1860 in West Africa at age 12 and worked on a plantation in Alabama. She died in 1937 and lived long enough to become acquainted with people active in the civil rights movement.