› added 8 years ago

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TIL - When Jeopardy was brought to syndication in 1984, the producers were told to make the answers easier to appeal to a broader audience. The agreed but changed nothing, leading to the frustratingly difficult show we love today.

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D1jpD TIL Coffee doesn't actually dehydrate you. A 2003 study found that the diuretic effect of caffeine is negligible in people who regularly consume caffeinated drinks
krP7 TIL there was a private prison that fed vegan meals, gave Bible studies, offered job training, anger management, etc. where violence dramatically decreased and inmates of all races associated with each other, where only 2% were rearrested, when the state of California had a rearrest rate of 95%.
rRZ9w TIL about brothel candles, which burned for precisely 7 minutes and were heavily used during Victorian times. The individual would pay the fee, light the candle, and when the candle burned out, the session was over.
pYaXZ TIL "Methinks the lady doth protest too much" is meant opposite to how it is used. It's not meant to doubt someone denying something, but rather someone proclaiming something. "Protest" (pruh-test) is a different word than (pro-test) that means to profess in favor. This is the origin of "Protestant"
R7AP8 TIL the mesh screens on the doors of microwaves are there to keep radiation inside.