› added 5 months ago

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TIL that since around 2010, the number of countries in the process of autocratization has risen above the number of countries democratizing

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e0vwJ TIL that the term “starboard” comes from old boats where their “board” for “steering” was on the right. This meant they always docked on the left, or “port” side. Aviation borrows from maritime; so this is why you almost always board an airplane from the left side doors.
xVNl5 TIL That when Napoléon I emancipated the Jews he stated "I will never accept any proposals that will obligate the Jewish people to leave France, because to me the Jews are the same as any other citizen in our country" the Russian Orthodox Church labelled him as the 'Anti-Christ and The Enemy of God'
GYVBQ TIL When pursued by a predator, a fleeing quokka mother will eject her baby from her pouch as a decoy to escape
1aGBD TIL: the reason some people feel the need to pace while on the phone is because when you talk on the phone, your brain is lacking the visual feedback it usually receives from face-to-face conversation, and begins to translate emotional responses into physical movements.
Bwxb TIL that the tombstone of U.S. Air Force veteran and gay rights activist Leonard Matlovich states this: “When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one”