› added 2 months ago

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TIL that Venetia Phair, the first person to suggest the name Pluto for the dwarf planet in 1930, was still alive when it was declared a dwarf planet in 2006. When asked about it, she stated that “At my age, I've been largely indifferent, though I suppose I would prefer it to remain a planet.”

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via reddit.com

690WQ TIL that the red panda is the original and only panda as it was described in 1825. Almost 50 years later, upon discovering a similar bamboo eating black and white creature, it was named as the "giant" panda. As the giant panda become popular, the red panda has came to be known as the "lesser" panda.
0Z1M TIL Carter G. Woodson created Negro History Week with hope it eventually be eliminated when black history became fundamental to American history. Instead it eventually became Black History Month, and critics include Morgan Freeman, who said “Black history is American history.”
pY6Ge TIL that the phrase "running the gauntlet" comes from the Swedish word "gatlopp" and comes from a punishment in which the party judged guilty is forced to run between two rows of soldiers, who strike out and attack them with sticks or other weapons.
QbGk TIL President Abraham Lincoln was an accomplished wrestler and is enshrined in the Hall of Fame and he suffered only 1 defeat in 300 matches.
WO4N TIL: Norway’s prisons are made to help you readjust to society. They don’t have barred windows, and have sharp knives in the kitchen. Norway believes that you shouldn’t have your freedom taken away in prison.