› added 12 years ago

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TIL there was a hobo convention in 1889 and they created a set of laws to govern the nation-wide hobo body

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OolGa TIL that London is farther north than Calgary, Montreal is south of Paris, and despite being 20° further north, Reykjavik’s average temperature in January is warmer than Boston’s average temperature. The reason for milder European climates than equivalent cities in North America is the Gulf Stream.
DQ0wD TIL that the microwave was invented by accident more than 70 years ago when a Raytheon engineer named Percy Spencer was testing a military-grade magnetron and suddenly realized his snack had melted.
8a65Z TIL A poll found that only two thirds of Americans aged 18 to 24 believed the world was round. This is partly due to a shift towards populism and distrust in the views of experts and mainstream media.
pKgO TIL that one of Seattle’s wealthiest citizens in the late 19th century was a madame. Lou Graham’s brothel made her so rich that she loaned money; her loans helped save other wealthy people after the Panic of 1893. After dying of syphilis, Graham’s estate had no heirs so went to Seattle schools.
8d7Z TIL there is only one resident of Monowi, Nebraska. She’s the bartender, librarian, and Mayor of the town.