› added 8 years ago

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TIL that despite widespread disapproval of organ donation after death, in 2014, 17% of all live kidney donations to strangers in the United States were donated by Haredi Jews, even though they are only 0.2% of the US population

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vdL TIL J.K. Rowling told Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) secrets about his character and the final books, before they were written, so he could better develop his character.
grVlD TIL in the 1980s, parents were upset at a Seattle firm about phone bill charges after a half-hour show featuring Santa told children to hold the telephone up to the TV whereupon touch-tone sounds would dial a 1-900 number. A spokesman said this was to prevent children from dialing the wrong number.
7rmnP TIL After the Battle of Blair Mountain (1921) striking miners feared jail and confiscation of their guns, many decided to hide their weapons in the woods before leaving Logan County. Collectors and researchers are still finding weapons and ammunition hidden around the site to this day.
JxdB TIL about the blue-ringed octopus, which despite being only 5-8 inches in size, carries enough venom to kill 26 humans within minutes. The bites are tiny and painless, with some victims not aware they were bit until paralysis sets in.
D16yj TIL that two of Robert the Bruce’s female relatives were kept in cages to be publicly humiliated for four years by Edward I of England during the Scottish struggle to maintain independence in the 14th century