› added 10 years ago

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TIL that swedish author Stieg Larsson never married his partner Eva Gabrielsson because under Swedish law, couples entering into marriage are required to make their addresses (at the time) publicly available; marrying would have been a security risk.

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A754 TIL The letter ‘E’ used to designate a failing grade until it was phased out by the 1930’s over fear of students interpreting it to mean 'excellent’.
PJdw TIL the primitive immune system of a horseshoe crab makes them useful to humans. Every drug certified by the FDA must be tested using an extract from their blood cells. Their blood is worth ~$15,000 a quart. A horseshoe crab can be bled, returned to the ocean, and after time, can give blood again.
8aQa4 TIL that the majority Muslim country of Albania saved countless Jewish lives during WWII. Under the oath of "Besa", a uniquely Albanian code of honor, a guest in one's home must be protected at all costs, even if it means laying down your life for your guest.
BroGx TIL there's been proposals to terraform Venus for a human colony since the 1960's, such as thinning the dense atmosphere to reduce the 450 °C surface temperature, setting up a system of orbital mirrors to give it Earth-like day/night cycle, and colliding it with an ice moon to fill it with water.
xVKEo TIL: A chemistry professor imported coca leaves to Germany that he gave his student to analyze. The student isolated a compound that had "a bitter taste, promote the flow of saliva and leave a peculiar numbness, followed by a sense of cold when applied to the tongue.” The compound was cocaine.