› added 7 years ago

87

TIL there are prime numbers that are illegal to possess or distribute. One of the first ones, found in 2001, was used to bypass copyright protection on DVDs.

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8eBOa TIL that in Roman Republic women were not given personal names. Rather their names would reflect their ancestry. Sisters would have the same names differentiated by a number (or if there are only two sisters they be called the older and the younger) and later in life by their husband's name
neXVP TIL the last King of Bulgaria was banished as a child but later returned and became Prime Minister
ZWgp TIL that the Powerpuff Girls were originally called the Whoopass Girls. Instead of accidentally adding Chemical X to his mixture of sugar, spice, and everything nice, the Professor accidentally added “a can of whoopass”.
OGa97 TIL that when steam locomotives needed to refill their water tanks on long journeys, they would sometimes make use of water troughs built directly on the tracks. The engineers would lower a scoop into the trough as the train drove over it, refilling the tanks without needing to stop.
4j5X TIL someone who gives opinions on subjects they know nothing about is called an ultracrepidarian