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TIL: Later in his life, Voltaire developed the habit of living near borders so he could more easily escape the authorities if his writings angered them

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via reddit.com

oydW TIL in South Carolina the max penalty for domestic violence is 30 days in jail, for beating your dog it’s 5 years.
7rx8p TIL that the Mantis Shrimp has one of the best eyesights in the animal kingdom. It’s hexnocular vision is so powerful that it sees six images at once, sees in 12 colors, and can polarize its own light. Scientists are now modeling its capabilities to detect cancer and internal injuries in humans.
EgKNV TIL that in the 1970s, the manager of Japan's first KFC restaurant promoted fried chicken "party barrels" as a Christmas meal intended to replace the traditional American turkey dinner. Since then, eating KFC food as a Christmas meal has become a widely practiced custom in Japan.
4x06 TIL that today’s British accent first appeared among London’s upper class around the time of the American Revolution. Before that, the British accent was similar to that of Americans.
PYDlw TIL There were lots of sketchy criticality accidents during the Manhattan Project and other early nuclear weapons research. E.g. One scientist died after dropping a Tungsten Carbide brick onto a Plutonium sphere which reflected more neutrons back onto it increasing the radiation