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TIL in ancient Korea, rice was used as currency and to pay taxes. A rice payment law was even put in place during the 1600s which mandated collecting rice for state taxes. Consumption of rice was mostly limited to those from a higher socioeconomic status during this time.

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nW4MY TIL that 60 years ago 20% of East Asian young adults were near-sighted. Today 90% are. Scientists suspect this is due to a decrease in time spent outside during childhood.
8eEXZ TIL Hongmen Feast Incident. After the Qin Dynasty's fall, rebel leader Xiang Yu held a feast for his co-rebel & rival, Liu Bang. In the party, Xiang arranged for a sword dancer to kill Liu during his performance, but Liu was saved by one of his friends, who got up and danced with the sword-dancer.
mxdlE TIL that Beethoven overcame deafness by biting a metal rod attached to his piano to hear his work. It's called bone conduction, and can also be used to help divers talk and hear underwater, and is also used by elephants to communicate
b9gyj TIL When a patient is zapped with a defibrillator, their heart stops beating altogether - the two electric paddles attached to the patient's chest essentially 'reset' the heartbeat. Once the heartbeat stops, the heart starts afresh and begins beating normally again.
5DkB TIL that nearly a third of the adult men living in the British territory of Pitcairn Island are convicted pedophiles. The U.K. foreign office does not allow its staff located on the island to be accompanied by their children, and all children under 16 require a special permit to enter.