› added 8 months ago

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TIL in 1858, as Congress was debating slavery in Kansas at 2:00AM, a large fight of 30+ Members erupted on the House floor. After the sitting house speaker banged his gavel and threatened to arrest noncompliant Members, the "melee dissolved into a chorus of laughs and jeers."

Read more history.house.gov

via reddit.com

xVJ5w TIL the Ethiopian calendar is 7-8 years behind the Gregorian calendar, meaning that the current year in that calendar is 2012. It has a thirteenth month, consisting of five days, or six in leap years. Also, the first day of the year is on September 11, or on September 12 in leap years.
Roo8 TIL Eminem composed ‘Lose Yourself’ entirely during breaks between shoots on the sets of 8 Mile.
ZpwgD TIL there is an Iraqi bellydance called Kawliya which involves flipping the hair and rolling the head in a manner reminiscent of a heavy metal fan at a concert. Kawliya used to be considered a disgraceful dance but is now very popular with Iraqi women who like to dance this way at social events...
LAj9 TIL that the sons of Hitler’s nephew made a pact to never have children, thus ending Hitler’s bloodline
LQL7d TIL that Saltwater Swimming Pools aren't very salty and that there is a widespread misconception that they do not use chlorine. In fact, saltwater pool water is only mildly salty (barely taste-able) and has similar chlorine levels as a regular chlorinated pool.