› added 9 years ago

76

TIL that in 1796, the United States signed the Treaty of Tripoli, including a clause stating that “the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.”

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7rdMx TIL that the song ‘Surfin Bird’ by The Trashmen is actually a mash up of two songs by doo-wop group The Rivingtons; ‘The Bird’s the Word’ and ‘Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow’. The Rivingtons were not originally credited on ‘Surfin Bird’.
1akjD TIL Astronaut Micheal Collins thought the eagle on the Apollo 11 mission patch looked uncomfortable stating that he, “hoped he dropped the olive branch before landing.”
8ao0V TIL: Ancient Athenians had ‘ostracism’ elections in which everyone voted for the most hated citizen. That citizen would then be banished for 10 years.
QJaR9 TIL that nearly half of Twitter accounts pushing to reopen America are bots
jBBN TIL that while the number of Americans who own guns is going down, the number of guns owned is going up. American gun owners comprise 1% of the world’s population, but own as much as one-third of the guns in the world.