› added 9 years ago

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TIL That Ben Franklin’s quote “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety,” was actually about the legislature’s right to tax the citizenry to pay for, among other things, security measures.

NXl4e Today I learned that mug shots in the 1800s used to be taken with hands over your chest for extra identification.
QRdd TIL that James Watson, one of the scientists who discovered the helical structure of DNA, believes that stupidity is a disease and stupid people should be “cured”, people from Africa are inherently less intelligent, and that he would never hire a fat person.
5b89 TIL Michael Dell, founder of Dell Inc., once had a high school summer job selling newspaper subscriptions for the Houston Post. By targeting the demographics of newlyweds and recent home buyers, Dell made $18,000 in one summer, exceeding the yearly payroll of two of his teachers.
61km TIL Abraham Lincoln is in the wrestling hall of fame losing only one out of about 300 matches and once challenged an entire crowd of onlookers after dispatching an opponent: ā€œI’m the big buck of this lick. If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns.ā€
QN8O6 TIL that the lawyer Nick Freeman specializes in having celebrities acquitted of speeding, drunk driving and other moving violations on technicalities, earning the nickname "Mr Loophole", which he embraced and trademarked.