› added 8 years ago

125

TIL the stars in the Brazilian flag represents the stars in the sky at the day and hour of its independence

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wLeVo TIL of Tsujigiri or 'crossroad killing' the practice whereby a Samurai would test the sharpness of a new katana by attacking a random passerby.
b9Kkp TIL of the death of Captain James Cook, the first European to discover Hawaii. When Hawaiian natives stole one of Cook's longboats, he attempted to get it back by kidnapping their chief. This almost succeeded, but after discovering Cook's plot, the angry natives clubbed and stabbed him to death.
epaM5 TIL-Blackface minstrelsy was the first uniquely American form of theater
VMPOk TIL about transparent wood, wood material with over 90% transparency that is significantly more bio-degradable than glass and plastics. It is also shatterproof, making it viable for short-term commercial use. One drawback would be its bio-degradability, making it unsuited for long-term use.
e0NOL TIL that Gerald Ford's presidency caused problems for political cartoonists, as he was considered so nondescript they couldn't work out what to caricature