› added 10 years ago

98

TIL: After the financial crises of 2008, the people of Iceland elected twenty-five non-political citizens to write a new constitution to free Iceland from the exaggerated power of international finance. The Icelanders could witness and comment on the constitution as it was being drafted online.

Read more sacsis.org.za

via reddit.com

E1xwd TIL In 1969 Forrest Parry, an IBM engineer, had the idea to affix magnetic tape to a plastic card. Every adhesive failed. He went home frustrated. His wife was ironing when he walked in. She suggested he fuse the tape onto the card with the iron. It was a success, and the magstripe card was born.
9Y18Q TIL that according to an analysis of 1.6 billion words from 41,829 issues of 132 newspapers from 1830 to 1860, George Washington's 1796 Farewell Address was still "going viral" nearly half a century after it was first published
Lk7yd TIL NASA operates an online interactive 3D map of the solar system with planets and other celestial objects.
GY1P4 TIL Some male beetles’ sexual organs have barbs and spikes like medieval torture devices. The wounds given to the female during sex are an “unfortunate side effect” and does not benefit the reproductive process.
lVe1 TIL that according to Marco Polo’s writings, Ghenghis Khan died from an injury caused by an arrow to the knee.