› added 8 years ago

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TIL That the 1937 Soviet census committee was arrested for “sabotage” and records were destroyed after they showed a mere 162 million citizens, an increase of 1.5 mil since 1930, rather than the expected 185+ million. It is now used to estimate the # of Stalins victims.

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WkpDo TIL Chrysler invented a turbine car that could run on random combustible materials like whiskey, hairspray, and mixtapes
OxwY TIL: The most decorated US regiment was a japanesse american unit. They won 18,143 awards. Served in almost every theater of war, won 21 Medals of Honor, 52 Distinguished Service Crosses, 560 Silver Stars, 4,000 Bronze Stars and 9,486 Purple Hearts.
ANJYx TIL Gregor Mendel originally planned to use mice for his famous genetics research but was forced to use peas because a Bishop was uncomfortable mice would be having sex in the abbey.
ERvp TIL the intense gravity at the center of the sun causes time to move more slowly, meaning the core is approximately 39,000 years younger than the surface.
JYavV TIL that up to 25 percent of cowboys in the West during the later 19th century were black. Former slaves or born into a formerly enslaved family, they worked in an industry that despite facing inevitable racism was a generally less discriminatory than other industries at the time.