› added 12 years ago

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TIL that George Washington thought 40,000 people was too many for 1 congress member to represent and supported an alteration to reduce that number to 30,000. Today, each member of the House of Representatives represents approximately 690,000 people.

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rNKpe TIL that the first vehicle powered by wood gas was built in 1901 by a man named T.H. Parker.
oB478 TIL in 2004 French police discovered an underground cinema that had been built in secret beneath the Paris catacombs. When they returned to it three days later, they found a note reading “Do not try to find us”.
Bgr4L TIL Citric acid, which is widely used in the food and beverage industry is exclusively produced by fermentation with filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger.
awyvy TIL San Francisco had a plague outbreak in the 1900s. Government officials repeatedly denied that it existed to ensure that no quarantine was put into place. When they acknowledged it existed, they blamed it on China. This resulted in the destruction of Chinatown.
b7dZ TIL that romantic love lasts a year. After that ‘attachment love’ sets in