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154

TIL George Zimmerman fought for civil rights against a police cover up of the 2011 beating of a black homeless man

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KpaE TIL that in the 1930s New York city planner Robert Moses deliberately built a number of bridges really low so that only cars could go under it - so as to prevent blacks (who mostly used public transport) from visiting New York’s ‘pristine’ beaches
vAWr TIL The maternity ward of Dutch princess Juliana (sheltered in Canada during WW2) was declared international territory so that the child would be born in no country and inherit Dutch citizenship. In gratitude, she sent 100,000 tulips paving the way for the Canadian Tulip Festival.
vPGbB TIL Stenographers (courtroom typists) don't use QWERTY keyboards. They use a specialized device called a Stenotype that inputs words in phonetic shorthand rather than letter by letter. Skilled stenographers can type over 300 words per minute.
LY4r TIL that the bottom of Converse “All Star” sneakers are covered with felt so that they classify as slippers, and therefore command a lower import tariff.
aY1J TIL until 1957, British television ceased broadcasting between 6-7pm each weekday so that parents could put their children to bed.