› added 1 week ago

TIL that the Hawaiian island of Lanai is 98% owned by Larry Ellison, cofounder and chairman of Oracle Corporation. While the remaining 2% is owned by the state of Hawaii or other homeowners.

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1aMQP TIL that Vermont was it's own independent country with it own coinage and postal service for 14 years before being admitted into the Union. Even though they took part in the Revolutionary war, they were not part of the original 13 colonies due to a border dispute with New York.
NvGb TIL that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan was asked at her confirmation hearing where she’d spent the previous Christmas. Her answer: “Like all Jews, I was probably at a Chinese restaurant.”
rRWK0 TIL in Japan people must adhere to government-mandated waistline limits. Those who are too fat must attend counseling and support sessions. Local governments and companies that don't meet specific targets are fined
bK8p TIL that Dean Koontz decided not to sue the filmmakers of High Tension for plagiarizing his book Intensity because he found the film to be so puerile, so disgusting, and so intellectually bankrupt he didn’t want the association with it that would come from a lawsuit.
KOG1J TIL that the Navajo Nation Indian reservation has its own elected president. The office was created in 1991 with the current president being Jonathan Nez.