› added 10 years ago

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TIL that the Joseon Dynasty developed cannons called “chongtong” that were capable of firing steel missiles over 500 meters, and that these missiles resemble modern ship-to-ship missiles.

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kJrR5 TIL of Emperor Pedro II, the last monarch of Brazil. He reigned 58 years, during which he championed civil rights, promoted education and science, won 3 wars, and abolished slavery. He allowed an unpopular coup d'etat against himself because he was tired of being emperor.
5JQ8 TIL that creative professions, particularly creative writing, have a strong correlation with mental illnesses: authors are 50% more likely to commit suicide than the general population.
E1y7 TIL that it would take about 732 quintillion packets of Kool-Aid and 91.5 quadrillion metric tons of sugar to turn the ocean into cheery Kool-Aid.
wLoVY TIL Oscar the Grouch was originally orange, and was meant to be magenta
woop8 TIL about Khuk Khi Kai, a jail in Thailand which was designed so that prisoners were subjected to a regular shower of chicken poop