› added 12 years ago

143

TIL that when Boris Yeltsin visited the US in 1989, seeing an ordinary Houston supermarket caused him to rethink his “Bolshevik consciousness” and leave the Communist party.

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7b8x TIL Finland was the first country in the world to offer a master’s degree in futures studies, and its government is required by law to produce an official review of the future every four years.
4ka9N TIL that the "Liner, wet weather, poncho" or Poncho liner, was first used by U.S. personnel during the early stages of the Vietnam War. One theory for it's nickname "Woobie" was in reference to a child's security blanket from the movie Mr. Mom.
QJWa6 TIL Robin Williams wanted to play Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, but was turned down because J.K. Rowling and director Chris Columbus only wanted British and Irish actors.
EgG5p TIL a Chinese factory taken over by unsupervised workers during the Cultural Revolution paid workers even if they didn't come to work. By the time someone was sent to investigate because of subpar products, almost all equipment was broken or stolen, and only 4% of the workers were still working.
xVNyw TIL Sachin Tendulkar played for Pakistan before India. He was just a 13 year old boy when he made his international debut as a fielder, during a practice match between India and Pakistan at the Brabourne Stadium in 1987 where he came on the field as a substitute fielder for Pakistan