› added 4 years ago

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TIL that gamblers in the old west were rarely playing poker, despite representations in films, games and other media. A card game called "faro" was the most popular form of gambling in the US until the early 1900's.

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YpWBd TIL officially recognised as a religion, & originally started as a mixture of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, Aum Shinrikyo gradually became a doomsday cult, convinced that World War3 was coming. It became increasingly violent, killing opponents, & killing 12 in a sarin attack on Tokyo underground.
v1okL TIL that black holes 'sing' at a frequency similar to a B flat, but located 57 octaves below middle C.
yajX TIL Balisongs (butterfly knives) are not illegal because of more use in violent crime, but because they can cause prolific amounts of Emergency Room visits from user-based accidents.
v9w4 TIL that strawberries and cream oatmeal doesn’t have real dried strawberries…they are apple pieces dyed and flavored to taste like strawberries. The blueberries and cream are dyed and flavored figs.
yO4e TIL 1997 Britain required civilians to surrender almost all privately owned handguns to the police. More than 162,000 handguns and 1.5 million pounds of ammunition were confiscated, however the British homicide rate continued to increase, rising 50% by 2002