› added 10 years ago

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TIL that tear gas is a chemical weapon banned at war, but police are still allowed to use it on protesters.

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KOLna TIL that the 'Swastika' was a symbol of well-being and harmony used by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains until of course anti-Semitic nationalist groups (P.S. Nazis) decided to culturally appropriated it to an Aryan symbol to boost a sense of ancient lineage for the Germanic people.
VMAY4 TIL in 2004 Morse code got its first update in 60 years, with the addition of the symbol "@". The new code takes twice as long as spelling out the word "at".
EgY67 TIL that there was a "dancing plague" in 1518 that killed upwards of 400 people in Strasbourg.
bR1E TIL that one man is responsible for saving ‘a billion lives’ by developing different strains of wheat crop, thereby averting predicted famines.
0wkJA TIL Due to a Forged Document, the Catholic Church claimed ownership of Europe until 1440 A.D.