› added 12 years ago

73

TIL that homework for children is a serious waste of time and energy.

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via reddit.com

jNrVR TIL that one of the most complex Chinese characters, requiring 58 strokes in its traditional form, represents the syllable "biáng", used in the name for a type of noodles. It is so complex that it is missing from most modern dictionaries and is not encoded in Unicode.
eMv6 TIL that the only Japanese passenger on the RMS Titanic‍ ‘​s disastrous maiden voyage survived the ship’s sinking, but found himself condemned and ostracised by the Japanese public, press and government for his decision to save himself rather than go down with the ship.
grPGX TIL the Ancient Roman Legions, rather than promoting men with orders from senior officers, held elections from within a Contubernium (equivalent to a squad or platoon) to elect a "Decanus," (roughly a corporal or sergeant, in charge of 10 men).
6EjgQ TIL that when trains were first introduced in the U.S, many people believed that, "women's bodies were not meant to go at 50 miles an hour" and that their "uteruses would fly out of [their] bodies if they were accelerated to that speed"
grnv8 TIL a Japanese euphemism for getting your period is 'ペリー来航 - the arrival of Matthew Perry'