› added 4 years ago

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TIL that in 1950, Republican Margaret Chase Smith became the first to denounce McCarthyism on the Senate floor. She also claimed that though a GOP victory in the '52 election was needed, she couldn't support a campaign founded on "the Four Horsemen of Calumny -- Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry, and Smear."

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wYk6 TIL the vertical smoke lines you see in nuclear explosions are caused by smoke rockets and not the explosion itself
EkdX TIL we are just a few years away from 3D printing human organs, which could revolutionize medicine and transplants
b9P1E TIL that British actor Trevor Howard (known for movies such as The Third Man, Brief Encounter, Gandhi, and Superman), insisted that all his contracts include a clause excusing him from work whenever a cricket Test Match was being played.
JlmQ TIL an area of Canada nearly twice the size of Texas was almost renamed “Bob” after politicians in the Northwest Territories asked residents to propose a new name. The campaign to name the territory Bob began as a prank, but thousands supported it. Politicians and Aboriginal leaders were not amused
8aAjV TIL conservationists in South Africa have been injecting rhino horns with red dyes and toxins to prevent poaching. The mixture renders the horn completely useless to those trying to sell it commercially and is also toxic for human consumption.