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86

TIL clockwise was called sunwise before the invention of clocks.

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J1QWB TIL the ampersand (&), also known as the "and" sign, originated as a ligature (two or more graphemes or letters that are joined into a single glyph) of the letters 'e' and 't' to form 'et', Latin for "and".
Lkbvv TIL Jang Song Thaek, once the second-most powerful figure in North Korea, was reportedly a supporter of Chinese-style economic reforms. Beijing's top leaders were surprised by Mr. Jang's abrupt downfall in 2013
oR1NK TIL about the lugger, "Greyhound" - a modern 3 masted lugger ferrying cargo between european ports under full/almost-full sail power.
ep5e5 TIL in 1870, Italy completed its unification by defeating the Papal States, which contained Rome. Though his army was outnumbered, the Pope insisted on symbolic resistance before surrendering, resulting in ~68 deaths. Rome was captured, and the Pope’s territory was eventually reduced to Vatican City
wAJ6 TIL that the sloppy handwriting of doctors kills more than 7,000 people annually. Preventable medication mistakes also injure more than 1.5 million Americans annually