› added 7 years ago

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TIL at one point in the late sixties, a plane was hijacked and diverted to Cuba more than once a week.

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Egdgd TIL that in 1984, Sweden introduced a 0.5% tax on financial transactions. 50% of traders in Stockholm moved to London by 1990. The reduction in market activity resulted in the money raised from the tax being minimal, and actually reduced overall tax revenue due to reductions in capital gains tax.
XEej8 TIL although iodine was added to table salt in the U.S. beginning in 1924 as an antidote to goiters caused by iodine deficiency, it had the unanticipated side effect of raising the national IQ by an average of 3.5 points.
l7GJG TIL that one theory suggests that human hair loss, particularly on the face and genitals, is linked to enhanced emotional communication. By shedding fur, humans could more effectively express and perceive nonverbal cues through facial color changes.
rR9Yy TIL that in 1899 the last surviving native Tasmanian recorded a song, the only record of her vanished language
jNJ0X TIL that some American insurance companies employ private firefighter brigades to defend the properties of wealthy clients during wildfires.