› added 4 months ago

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TIL that the Australian Senate is comprised of elected members who actively take part in legislation, whereas in other countries that use the Westminster system, e.g. the U.K. and Canada, the upper house of government is appointed and mostly just reviews bills that the lower house sends their way.

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VBg9m TIL about Black Arrow, a British satellite carrier rocket. In 1971, Black Arrow was the first and only successful orbital launch conducted by the United Kingdom. It was retired in favor of using American rockets, which the Ministry of Defence calculated to be cheaper than maintaining the program.
OoDdg TIL Dinosaurs lived on the earth over a span of 200 million years. That means less time separates us from T-rex than T-rex from early Stegosaurus (an early dinosaur)
jJYR TIL Former French President, Félix Faure, died at age 59 from a massive stroke while making love to his mistress. French newspapers and political leaders spread rumors of his death including that his “stiff hands were entangled in her hair” and that he had to be surgically separated from her.
jNx6p TIL that King Herod of Judea (73/74 BCE – 4 BCE) desired a certain maiden and she killed herself to avoid marrying him. He later went on to preserve her body in honey for 7 years amid rumours of necrophilia.
JKLQ TIL Blazing Saddles is considered “historically significant” by the Library of Congress because it was the first film from a major studio to have a fart in it