› added 11 months ago

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TIL in 1391, Geoffrey Chaucer, famous for the Cantebury Tales, also wrote what is considered the oldest written work in English about an elaborate scientific instrument--"A Treatise on the Astrolabe"

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PDkL TIL that some police departments in the U.S. are starting to create Internet Purchase Exchange Locations so that Craigslist or similar transactions can be conducted in an area with video surveillance and police presence and keep participating parties safe.
BgxOk TIL Ronald Reagan approved giving out 30 million pounds of government-owned cheese to struggling families, after the public found out about their gigantic hoard.
4XVNo TIL Amish men shave their mustaches as a protest against violence. The Amish were originally founded in Europe. At the time, mustaches were prevalent in the German military. The Amish began shaving their mustaches as a physical representation of their non-violent nature. It continues today.
kOgo5 TIL that the U.S military has been developing a sniper rifle that can be controlled with an Xbox 360 controller while being flown around by an autonomous drone.
VMLAQ TIL that the last telegram sent in the United States was in 2006, while the last globally was in India, 2013.