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TIL Hitchens's Razor: "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence," a dictum coined by antitheist Christopher Hitchens.

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1Bk8 TIL In 1909, the Criminal Code was amended to criminalize the abduction of women. Before this, the abduction of any woman over 16 was legal, except if she was an heiress. The maximum penalty for stealing a cow was much higher than for kidnapping an heiress.
VMEa0 TIL During the Cuban missile crisis, Kennedy said: “Why does he put these in there, though? … It’s just as if we suddenly began to put a major number of MRBMs in Turkey. Now that’d be goddamned dangerous, I would think.” His advisor immediately pointed out: “Well we did it, Mr. President.”
5V1OR TIL that the majority(64%) of passengers and crew onboard the Hindenburg survived the inferno. It fell gently and many were able to jump out and run away. (Also, The deadliest airship disaster was a actually a helium airship - the uss akron)
jGWQ TIL that John L. Leal was put on trial for adding sodium hypochlorite - chlorine’s predecessor and considered poisonous - into the water supply of a chemophobic Jersey City in 1908, but was vindicated after the move practically eradicated typhoid.
Me0vA TIL when the Israeli military developed their battle rifle, the Galil, they included a bottle opener built into the bottom of the gun. Previous guns had been damaged by Israeli soldiers who kept using their guns to open bottled beverages with their guns.