› added 10 years ago

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TIL that if someone has debt and dies, their family does not have to pay it off. But some banks will try to get them to anyway in case they think they need to.

Read more law.cornell.edu

via reddit.com

JYj0l TIL that Christmas used to be illegal in Massachusetts. After 1681, Christmas was no longer a crime, but was completely taboo. Anyone caught making merry or singing carols was prosecuted for disturbing the peace. It remained taboo until 1870, when the federal government made it a national holiday.
GYnvQ TIL that the United States has only been at conflict-free for 43 of its 241 years of age, meaning only 17.8% of its existence have been truly peaceful.
Ooja7 TIL The Greeks associated the sound of a partridge taking flight with the sound of intestinal gas. This is revealed by the etymology of the word "perdiks", which in their language refers to this bird
dLpQ TIL on June 29, 1995, a department store in Seoul, Korea collapsed, killing 500 people. During construction, the owner insisted on adding an unauthorized 6th floor with a swimming pool. When his engineers protested, they were fired.
EZ9V TIL Student tuition at Ivy League schools is essentially “Pay what you can,” and free for students whose families make less than $60K/year; the difference is funded by an endowment of donations.