› added 1 month ago

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TIL that suddenly jerking awake when you're falling asleep is called Hypnic Jerk which happens to everyone and is very normal

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v6vD TIL that the word O.K. came from the 8th president of the U.S. Martin Van Buren’s nickname of Old Kinderhook. When his signature was needed he intialed it O.K. Soon enough, his secretaries who ask him to OK something and the phrase spread.
loyRV TIL of the folk-punk band “This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb”. On three separate occasions, stickers for the band affixed to bicycles resulted in police evacuations and bomb squad responses.
MemRK TIL that Adolf Hitler did not invent concentration camps. They have likely been in use for centuries, as a method to supress/eliminate unwanted elements of society. Documented examples prior to the 1800s are however not easily found.
wLZrW TIL master swordsmith Masamune founded the Soshu tradition about 700 years ago. He has a 24th generation grandson who continues the tradition of forging blades, in the same area, to this day.
OGyGR TIL that in 2001, Seattle had a huge Mardi Gras party in their Pioneer Square neighborhood that culminated in a huge riot that left 100 people arrested, 70 people hurt and 1 person (Kris Kime) killed.