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TIL it used to be common for woman in the US to wear extremely long metal hatpins but in 1910 hatpins longer than 9 inches were banned because woman were using them for self-defence and/or accidentally killing people with them.

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VMLYB TIL in the 1920's newly hired engineers at General Electric would be told, as a joke, to develop a frosted lightbulb. The experienced engineers believed this to be impossible. In 1925, newly hired Marvin Pipkin got the assignment not realizing it was a joke and succeeded.
Y7lr TIL that in 1870 Gilbert Bates marched 400 miles through England carrying the American flag to prove that the English did not hate Americans. He was honored as a hero.
x6V0k TIL mathematician Kurt Godel starved himself to death for fear of being poisoned
bp6E TIL One of Michael Vick’s former fighting dogs, Leo, went on to be a therapy dog who comforted terminally ill children/adults.
OMwa TIL: The Virgin Mary is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran.