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TIL the word tsunami actually means "harbor wave" because the ancient Japanese fishermen did not notice the shock wave passing them while they were out at sea because the wave does not unleash its destructive energy until it reaches shallow waters.

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b6XA7 TIL The US TV show Dallas is alleged to have helped partially hasten the downfall of communist Romania. The regime allowed airings of the show in the 1980s believing that the show would be seen as anti-capitalistic. This backfired as citizens desired the luxurious lifestyle portrayed in the show.
GANAj TIL Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi) as a child was diagnosed with spinal TB. He was wrapped in a full body cast, told he would never walk, and spent most of the first 9 years of his life in hospitals being treated. When he was finally released his family was interned in a camp for the duration of WWII.
8eG7X TIL that there is a town under water in the state of Maine because a greedy power company flooded it for their own use and when not all homeowners agreed to sell, they flooded it anyway.
9977 TIL that Roald Dahl changed the Oompa-Loompas from black-skinned pygmies to dwarves with “rosy-white” skin after allegations of racism.
M8nA TIL in 1953, following athlete Jim Thorpe’s death, his widow was upset that his native Oklahoma would not memorialize him. Hearing of two random towns in Pennsylvania that were desperate for money, she convinced them to merge and name the new town Jim Thorpe, PA, which it’s still called to this day.