› added 7 years ago

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TIL that Stalin's daughter caused an international furor when she defected and became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

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x615o TIL: There was a proposal in 1902 to name Royal Navy submarines after prehistoric sea creatures
PYvJJ TIL that in 1670, against a judge's instructions, a jury refused to find two men guilty. The judge held the jury in contempt; locked them up overnight without food, water or heat; and fined them. On appeal, the Chief Justice ruled that a jury could not be punished for returning the wrong verdict.
kZdE TIL that Jim Woodman theorized that the Nazca lines were built via an ancient form of flight. TO prove this he constructed a hot air balloon only using resources that were available to the ancient Nazca people.
b6Zb7 TIL after the fires that followed the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, many insurance companies tried to avoid covering the losses, except for Lloyd's of London: "Pay all of our policyholders in full, irrespective of the terms of their policies." This cemented Lloyd's reputation in the U.S.
5VyK9 TIL that it's illegal to own just one guinea pig in Switzerland. It's considered animal abuse because they're social beings and get lonely.