› added 7 years ago

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TIL that Belgium is named after the Belgae people, which is translated to ‘The people who swell with anger,’ meaning Belgium means 'land where the people swell with anger’

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e04mg TIL that Samuel J. Seymour, the last surviving witness of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, lived long enough to be interviewed on national television on February 9, 1956.
6YjQ TIL that Judith Vaitukaitis developed the chemical technique for the first home pregnancy test after trying to use it to diagnose cancer
gMvp9 TIL in the original Greek democracy, elections were seen as undemocratic and oligarchic. To them everyone was equal so they selected their leaders randomly in a process called Sortition.
R7L7Q TIL Moctezuma II, emperor of the Aztecs, while dining, took no other beverage than chocolate, served in a golden goblet. Flavored with vanilla or other spices, his chocolate was whipped into a froth that dissolved in the mouth. Reportedly, he consumed no fewer than 60 portions each day .
EgkQo TIL Southwest Airlines attempted to use the slogan "Just Plane Smart" which was similar to "Plane Smart," already being used by Stevens Aviation Inc. An exec at Stevens offered to settle it with a winner-take-all arm-wrestling competition. The "Malice in Dallas" event happened on March 20, 1992.