› added 4 years ago

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TIL the reason why Amish grow beards but shave their mustaches is to represent their pacifism. The Amish associate mustaches with the military and thus they shave their mustaches to show they would never serve in warfare. The Amish who did serve did so in the Civilian Service Corps.

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oBeoA TIL: Memoirs of a Geishsa (2005) was protested for racially insensitive casting. Japan felt it was wrong to cast Chinese actors to portray Japanese people, while the Chinese felt it was insulting for a Chinese to have to portray a Japanese.
9w0Kr TIL the Japanese word "saboru". In the early 1900s, "sabotage" caught on in Japan to describe industrial actions. However, it was shortened and took on a different meaning: "cutting classes" or "skipping work". Now it’s so casually used that even some native speakers don’t realize it’s a loanword.
BradW TIL the United States has five times more heliports than any other country, and about as many heliports as every other country in the world combined
nJ4o TIL China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission
RAm9 TIL on 8 September 2009, Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer disobeyed a direct order from a superior to pull back from his position so he could rescue wounded soldiers from a firefight a mile away. He ended up going back five times, saved the lives of 36 soldiers, and won the Medal of Honor.