› added 5 years ago

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TIL that every year, a regatta is held in Alice Springs. Due to the lack of water in Central Australia, contestants have to carry bottomless "boats" trough a dried-out river. When the river did carry water in 1993, the regatta became "the only regatta ever cancelled because of wet weather".

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V9kB TIL: That Iceland has a registry of approved names that a parent can give their child. All names are regulated by the Icelandic Naming Committee and must conform to Icelandic grammar, cultural tradition, and be non-embarrassing for the child.
OGVlL TIL Vietnam is dealing with an increasing number of serious medical issues caused by fat-dissolving injections sold by shady beauticians and cosmetic treatment clinics, one of which is a hormone found in the urine of pregnant women that is banned by the FDA in the U.S.
x6Eek TIL In 1972, the US House of Representatives election in Alaska was held. Candidate Nick Begich disappeared a month earlier in a suspected plane crash. His body and the wreckage were never found. Despite this, he still won the election.
a8VLN TIL William Bligh was not only overthrown as Governor of New South Wales in Australia’s only military coup but was previously overthrown as Captain in the famous mutiny on the HMS Bounty.
eLWg TIL up to 95% of the historic structures in the city of Mecca have been demolished over the last three decades. Many of the sites were over 1000 years old and many were connected to the life and times of the prophet Muhammad and his companions.