› added 4 years ago

193

TIL O Canada was originally written in 1880, but it didn't become Canada's official anthem until a century later. In the wake of Quebec's first independence referendum, in which 40% voted to leave Canada, the federal government dumped God Save the Queen and replaced it with O Canada

E1k4V TIL that if your fingers are severed and reattached, or undergo nerve damage, they will no longer shrivel in water.
npv7 TIL that limes were used as a military secret by the British navy, as scurvy was a common scourge of various national navies, and the ability to remain at sea for lengthy periods without contracting the disorder was a huge benefit for the military.
JYKVk TIL about Rio Rico an American town that was basically forgotten in Mexico and is the last piece of land ever ceded to a foreign power by the United States. It's residents were also granted US citizenship for having been born in the US.
pYNNA TIL about Sequoyah, a Native American of the early 19th centruy who, just seeing white people writing, understood what writing was and created, all by himself, an advanced syllabary system. After some years, more than 90% of Cherooke people were able to read.
wjvE TIL The USSR named one of its last policies (which allowed the nations of the Eastern Bloc to determine their own internal affairs) the ‘Sinatra Doctrine’ - a reference to the Frank Sinatra song “My Way” as the Soviet Union was effectively allowing its satellite states to go their 'own way’.