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TIL about "The Great Leveler," a book that argues that the greatest redistributions of wealth in history are during times of war, plague, and catastrophe, citing the Black Death and WWI as "actually suppressing inequality, by raising the price of labour."

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via reddit.com

w0XJ TIL that scientists have invented a new, lighter steel that’s as strong as titanium
JeK1 TIL People need to read at least 100 books on their e-readers to break even with printed books on environmental impact.
oy5o TIL that Iceland let its banks fail instead of bailing them out. In 2008, the country started over from square one after paying off loans for consumers, forgiving homeowner debt, and throwing the offenders responsible in prison. Its economy is now growing faster than the US and European economies.
xVdB5 TIL about Charles Boycott. He rented out land to farmers during the 20th century. Many farmers couldn't afford to pay him, so many farmers were evicted. Due to this, there were boycotts against him. Those boycotts gave rise to the verb "boycott", named after the person. The word never existed before
wE1P TIL that the company that makes Atrazine, a vastly used herbicide that has been linked to breast cancer; also manufacturers the drug that is a treatment for breast cancer.