› added 12 years ago

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TIL Leo Tolstoy wrote a book in 1908 called “Letter to a Hindu” in which he argued that the only way for India to gain independence from Britain was through non-violent resistance. Gandhi read this book and others by Tolstoy. They struck up a correspondence and the course of history was changed.

dDZAr TIL - Kangaroos don't have belly buttons. Marsupials and monotremes don't feed their unborn offspring via a placenta so have no umbilicus.
PYBaG TIL that Judith Viorst (author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) wrote a poem about her parents' deaths when she was seven. Both her parents were still alive at the time, and were not amused.
9YrBM TIL of plans for a Gregg Allman biopic but was cancelled after one day of filming. While on a railroad trestle bridge illegally, a train struck several crew members, killing one. The director plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to two years in prison and eight years probation.
KYwaB TIL that 53 years ago from today was the first time data was sent through the internet. it was only the 2 digits "LO" because the network could not deal with so much information (AKA to complete the word "LOGIN") so it crushed after the first 2 digits.
wLKV6 TIL A convent of Mexican nuns, The Sisters of the Immaculate Health, is helping to save one of the world's most endangered and remarkable amphibians – The Axolotl, a creature of worldwide scientific interest, as they are able to regrow lost limbs and other body parts, which we hope to emulate.