› added 2 months ago

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TIL The word "quarantine" comes from a 14th-century practice in the Venetian Republic, where ships had to isolate for 40 days to prevent the spread of the plague, leading to the term "quarantine" from the Italian "quaranta giorni" (40 days).

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WkP0L TIL The neuroscience of free will is still very hotly debated. Experiments that try to determine predictability of choice show that both unconscious and conscious operations are involved in decision making. Philosophers used these studies to argue both hard-determinism and compatibilism.
eWg6 TIL of stingrays, or fake cell towers used by law enforcement that trick cell phones into giving gps and identifying info. When used to track a suspect, it also gathers information of all cellphones nearby.
16gV7 TIL a member of Michigan's State House of Representatives tried to cover up an affair with another member of the House by having his staff spread the rumor he had sex with a male prostitute. He was later charged with 4 felonies over the incident
4kRm5 TIL that Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) was busted in college for drinking gin during Prohibition. To avoid being kicked out of a college humor magazine he worked for at the time, he began signing his name as, Seuss, and used it ever since then.
ZZYG TIL that after fighting, giraffes have gay sex