› added 7 years ago

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TIL Croissants originated in Austria, not in France. At least as early as the 13th century.

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pY9n4 TIL The first speeding ticket was issued in the UK. In 1896 a person was caught driving 8 miles per hour in a zone where the maximum limit was 2mph.
VM7Kk TIL In 1794, the world's tallest structure, the Strasbourg Cathedral spire, was saved by a hat. Revolutionaries wanted to tear down the spire, as it stood against equality. The citizens of Strasbourg crowned it with a giant tin Phrygian cap, a symbol of liberty commonly worn by revolutionaries.
wvlW TIL Women are twice as likely to initiate a suicide attempt but Men a four times more likely to succeed.
8aYB8 TIL: In 2006, the FBI came up with a terror plot involving "full scale ground war" taking out the Sears Tower. The 7 convicted never had any contact with Al Qaeda, never acquired weapons, explosives or formed actual plans & whole plot was thought up by the FBI informant. From 7-13 years prison.
V7jk TIL astronauts discard their clothes after each use. Since it cost about $10,000 to get one pound of cargo to the ISS it is more cost effective for them to discard their cloths when they get dirty instead of wasting water by washing them.