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TIL that the US senate used the same ivory gavel for over 170 years till president Richard Nixon broke it during a late night debate about nuclear power in 1954

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QJL4L TIL Iran pays people to donate kidneys, and has no waiting list for kidney transplantation
7rDax TIL about the Vajont Dam Disaster. In 1963 after reporting numerous warning signs about the the risks of a landslide some journalists were sued by the goverment for "undermining the social order". A landslide eventually occurred causing an overflow and killing between 1,900 and 2,500 people
69LNQ TIL that California is the only state to have an image of an extinct animal on its state flag and seal
grOa9 TIL Only 15 of 38 starters finished the men's individual cross country event at the 1924 Summer Olympics due to a difficult course, 40°C weather and noxious fumes emitted from a nearby power plant.
xVLbg TIL Salvador Dalí’s brother died nine months before the artist was born. When Dalí was 5 years old, his parents took him to his brother’s grave and told him that he was his brother’s reincarnation. Salvador believed it and incorporated this idea into his future paintings.