› added 2 months ago

7

TIL that in 1731, Britain banned Latin and French from the legal system because it was seen as 'elitist gatekeeping' used to confuse the public. Despite the ban, phrases like 'status quo' survived because lawyers argued they were 'too useful' to replace with English.

Read more statutes.org.uk

via reddit.com

6EG5J TIL that lottery winner Jack Whittaker was once robbed of $545,000 in cash. When asked why he would carry around that much money, he responded with “because I can”. He was later robbed for $200,000 cash.
a8BgL TIL the smoot is a unit of measure named for Oliver R. Smoot, an MIT student who as a fraternity pledge was forced to measure the Harvard Bridge using himself as a ruler. A smoot is equal to five feet, seven inches.
yVdmw TIL Hyenas and Wild dogs have been known to eat their prey alive, because of lions who will inevitably come to steal the prey. This might explain why zebras are highly skittish in nature.
wXWo TIL that the human eye can ONLY make smooth (non-saccadic) motions if it’s actually tracking a moving object.
mgRY TIL that in South Asia widowed women were once routinely burned alive on their husbands’ funeral pyres. A British general outlawed it, saying “This burning of widows is your custom; prepare the funeral pile… But my nation has also a custom. When men burn women alive we hang them.”