› added 9 years ago

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TIL The United States has just 4.4% of the world population, but 22% of the worlds prisoners

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via reddit.com

1a4MD TIL during World War 2, Hawaii’s Japanese population—about 158,000, more than one third of the territory’s total population—did not face mass removal and imprisonment similar to what happened on the mainland.
vxmR TIL that mandatory right-hand traffic was introduced in Europe by Napoleon with the aim of deterring swordfighting on horseback, and because the traditional left-hand traffic was seen as aristocratic. Since he never conquered Britain, left-hand driving would remain there.
QJxb9 TIL: That you weigh less if you visit certain areas of Canada, namely the Hudson Bay Area and parts of Quebec, because there’s less gravity there than other parts of the world.
7xYx TIL Pee Wee Herman’s father was one of 5 founding pilots of the Israeli Air Force in Israel’s War of Independence. It is widely believed that he with the other four volunteer pilots changed the course of the War of Independence thus establishing Israel.
Mpd8 TIL Michael Phelps’ lung capacity is twice that of the average human, having 12 liters compared to the average of 6.