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TIL that in the U.S. in 1902, more than half of new car registrations were for steam-powered cars. Steam engines were safe, reliable, and familiar, having already been used in trains and boats. However, they were heavy, slow to start (the water had to boil), and required constant attention.

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VMQ7Z TIL The window tax was a property tax based on the number of windows in a house. To avoid the tax some houses from the period can be seen to have bricked-up window-spaces . In England and Wales it was introduced in 1696 and was repealed in 1851, France and Scotland also had window taxes.
woOwo TIL that in 1939, African-American singer Marian Anderson was denied permission to perform at Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The Hall had a white performers-only policy. Anderson responded by giving an open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
804L TIL William Hung of American Idol fame gave up his music career in 2011 to become a Technical Crime Analyst for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
MexGW TIL owls and crows instinctively hate one another, even if they've had no prior exposure. If crows see an owl out in daylight, they try to kill it.
Real TIL in 2012 Nina Turner introduced a men’s health bill that mirrored mostly male-sponsored legislation restricting women’s reproductive health. It called for a written affidavit by a recent sexual partner, consulting a sex therapist, and a cardiac stress test to receive ED meds.