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TIL anyone who immigrated to America from 1776 to 1881 — when 87% of arrivals came from northwest Europe — had virtually no legal restrictions. Restrictions only began in 1882, when "too many Asians" began to enter, which led to a ban on Chinese citizens.

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6E8WZ TIL that a bakers dozen is comprised of 13 because in medieval England there were laws that related the price of bread to the price of the wheat used to make it. Bakers caught cheating customers by overpricing undersized loaves were punished. For fear of coming up short, they would throw in extra.
e0nLn TIL that even though we remember Nixon as a terrible president for Watergate, he was actually tremendously popular, and in his second election won 49 of the 50 states.
QN4wL TIL that from 1925 to 1939, a group of corporations called the Phoebus cartel, including General Electric and Philips, coordinated competition among lightbulb manufacturers. To drive repeat sales, they fined companies which produced lightbulbs with an average lifespan exceeding 1,000 hours.
69Xnw TIL prostitution is illegal in Japan but the law recognize only vaginal sex. Oral, anal and masturbations are not criminalized.
b9r9E TIL what would happen if you were swallowed by a whale