› added 2 years ago

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TIL less than 20% of Japanese people have passports

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5NQD TIL that the terms “hooker” and “sideburns” were popularized and invented respectively during the Civil War. General Joseph Hooker’s army was known to party and hire prostitutes, while General Ambrose Burnside’s facial hair spoke for itself
j00N TIL Pluto’s largest moon Charon was named after James W. Christy’s wife, Charlene. It was later discovered that Charon was an existing figure in Greek mythology (the ferryman of Hades, later known as Pluto), and thus the name was kept.
Wgg4 TIL that in 1999, Australian businessman, Dick Smith created a matchstick brand called ‘DICKHEADS’ as a protest against the foreign ownership of vegemite.
Oo9n1 TIL Parents who give their children bleach enemas to cure autism have shared photos of "rope worms" expelled from their children, claiming they are parasites killed by the concoction. They are actually intestinal lining.
4Xl0o TIL Canada has an older 'continually running' monarchy than the UK, having been initially established in the 16th Century. While being under British Rule, French Rule, and ultimately an independent monarchy, there has not been a time since Canada has not had a monarch.