› added 12 years ago

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TIL that in 1917 Alexander Graham Bell predicted that “the unchecked burning of fossil fuels would have a sort of greenhouse effect” on the planet, and argued for the use of alternative energy sources such as solar energy.

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Vw7p TIL the military word “mayday” meaning “emergency” comes from the identically pronounced French phrase “m'aidez”, meaning “help me”.
mYaP TIL The government can prevent itself from being sued, simply by claiming that to bring the case to court would reveal state secrets. In the Supreme Court precedent case, the government lied about any secrets being revealed
l7pG7 TIL that what we refer to as “The Star-Spangled Banner” is actually only one of four stanzas of the poem it was derived from.
OGMYe Today I learned more about the urban artists who passed away last year
Ev90 TIL that the term Peeping Tom comes from when Lady Godiva, an Earl’s wife, tried to convince him to lower the heavy taxes on the poor. He told her that he would if she rode through town naked. When she did it, the townsfolk all averted their eyes out of courtesy; except for one tailor named Tom.