› added 9 years ago

66

TIL that the first public school in the United States is still open. The Boston Latin School was founded over 380 years ago; famous alumni include Sam Adams, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Hancock, and Leonard Bernstein.

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e0V7k TIL that Serj Tankian (of System of a Down) has a wider vocal range than Freddie Mercury
OoZ66 TIL When The Empire Strikes Back debuted in 1980 some showings were preceded by the short film Black Angel which was directed by Star Wars art director Roger Christian. The film was thought lost for decades but has since been recovered and is available on YouTube.
6EyK8 TIL Qian Xuesen was a Chinese scientist/colonel in the US army partially responsible for helping America go to space. But because of racism, he was deported to China. He was the father of Chinese rocketry and is one of the reasons why China is a world power today with ICBMS.
RLw6 TIL that infants have died from a ritual known as metzitzah b'peh (removing the foreskin of the penis and the Rabbi places his mouth briefly over the wound, sucking a small amount of blood out) because the Rabbi had herpes.
LJrV TIL in 1988 a cargo plane was trying to deliver much needed medical supplies to hurricane victims of Honduras, but the tarmac was filled with unsolicited and unneeded donations so the plane was turned away. 60% of items donated after a disaster can’t be used.