› added 1 year 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."

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Wka0Y TIL That there was a Nazi Concentration Camp on British soil in the Channel Islands of Alderney
440w TIL On a Price is Right taping in September 2008, the Showcase results were halted for 45 minutes - because a contestant had bid the EXACT price ($23,743). Drew Carey claimed he read out the result on-air as deadpan as possible because he was worried the show was crooked and he’d go to jail.
rWJ0 TIL In 1994 Pearl Jam helped kick off a Justice Department antitrust probe into TicketMaster, so TickerMaster hired a law firm with partners posted in the DOJ anti-trust division. The investigation was dismissed soon after, and TicketMaster’s monopoly practices have continued unchecked ever since.
wLWaP TIL The European colonization of America caused a minor cooling of the world due to the decimation of the native population. An estimated 55 million native Americans died due to disease, famine and direct violence.
XEWor TIL, the name Nickelodeon is derived from an old chain of movie theatres in the United States, having over 8,000 theatres at one point. The name itself comes from the terms: Nickel for 5 cents, and the greek word Odeon, meaning a building for Musical Performances.