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TIL of Norton I, the first Emperor of the United States. A benevolent ruler, Emperor Norton issued Proclamations disbanding Congress, forbidding conflicts between religions, and advocating the formation of a League of Nations. At his death in 1880, 30,000 people attended his funeral procession.

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4XD4X TIL Friction ridge skin impressions (fingerprints) were used as proof of a person’s identity in China over 2000yrs ago.
V4wm TIL there used to be an “Office of Technology Assessment” in charge of providing Congress with unbiased analysis of scientific issues, but it was closed down as part of the Republicans’ “Contract With America in 1995.
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