› added 10 years ago

61

TIL Washington State was once known as “Columbia”; which fully explains the naming of the Canadian province “British Columbia”

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yQoGv TIL of Emergence, the phenomenon of complex systems, like ant colonies and cells, coming from simpler pieces.
PkAO TIL that the difference between American and British English is not due to American English diverting away from British, but rather British English changing while American English did not. American English is actually more similar to 1700s British English than the accents in the UK are today.
Oov97 TIL breaking the ice origin When ships were primary trade, they often got stuck in ice in the winter. Trade ships coming into port were frequently met by small ships sent out by the receiving nation to break the ice&clear way. The gesture demonstrated welcome&understanding between the 2 countries
NeNJ TIL that Robert Downey Jr was a cast member on Saturday Night Live for one season in 1985-1986
neEyo TIL Harvard Business School's Ruth Mulan Chu Chao Center is the first named for a woman and Asian American. At eight, she journeyed alone back to her birthplace to reclaim the family's hidden gold. Sewing it into her garments and passing undetected by Japanese forces, she returned safely