› added 4 years ago

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TIL the US patent office actually granted a patent on Indian Basmati rice to the prince of Liechtenstein (an alpine European microstate), in a case of "bio-piracy." The patent was eventually revoked after an international outcry.

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via reddit.com

9YDgD TIL that Southwest China has a "cliff village", 800 meters above the ground. The only way to the outside world from the village was to climb down 17 rattan ladders, among which were two linked vertical rattan ladders 100 meters long.
Jx44 TIL that the planet Uranus was discovered before the continent of Antarctica
DVme TIL that Ron Jeremy was a teacher before going into Porn, and holds a masters degree in Special Education.
nWeNB TIL of the Phoenix Pay System, implemented in 2016 for Canadian federal workers. It was meant to automate and replace the government's old payroll system and expected to save $70 million per year, but due to widespread issues is estimated to cost tax payers over $2.2 billion by 2023.
kJoKB TIL from the 1990s through 2021 the NFL used a method called "race-norming", which assumed Black players started out with lower cognitive function, as part of a dementia test to determine payouts in brain injury settlements.