› added 5 years ago

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TIL the mens' Olympic Javelin was modified in 1986 to reduce throwing distances. The longest throws were beginning to exceed the length of the field and were a danger to people in the stands. The new javelins only fly 90% as far as the previous design and all pre-1986 records have been nullified.

7rJ5L TIL a separatist movement in the 60% German-speaking Italian province of South Tyrol advocates the region's reunification with neighboring Austria. Italy was incentivized to enter World War I when a treaty permitted absorbing Tyrol. It was ceded in reparations, breaking Woodrow Wilson's promise.
x65O1 TIL that future stars Jill St. John, Natalie Wood, and Stefanie Powers were members of a children's ballet company together. All three would later marry or co-star with actor Robert Wagner.
rwQM TIL that Mormons believe that in 1978, God changed his mind about black people.
a860N TIL the most effective surrender leaflet in WW2 was known as the "Passierschein". It was designed to appeal to German sensibilities for official, fancy documents printed on nice paper with official seals and signatures. It promised safe passage and generous treatment to any who presented it.
lowK1 TIL that Wayne Gretzky is the only Hockey player to have scored over 200 points in a season, and did so a total of four times. His stunning success as a Hockey player was immortalized in the fact that not only did is own team retire 99, Gretzky's Jersey number, but the league as whole did as well!