› added 12 years ago

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TIL that “You can’t eat your cake and have it, too” is the correct form of the proverb, because its order is what illustrates the impossibility. The Unabomber got the order correct in both his manifesto & private writing & this was 1 of the linguistic anachronisms that helped the FBI identify him

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epw1L TIL about millionaire Wellington Burt, who died in 1919 and deliberately held back his enormous fortune. His will denied any inheritance until 21 years after the death of his last surviving grandchild. The money sat in a trust for 92 years, until 12 descendants finally shared $110 million in 2011.
b66Rj TIL the opening of a segment of Interstate 94 freeway in Detroit was delayed for almost 3 months though the winter because a group of area mothers were concerned that children would be drawn to the freeway slopes with their sleds.
loVxN TIL about Bill Bradley, an NBA all-star who won two championships with the New York Knicks (1979, 1973), only to become a New Jersey Senator from 1979-1997
rRdad TIL of Qian Xuesen, a Chinese rocket scientist and mathematician, who worked on the Manhattan Project during WW2 to help America build the world's first atomic bomb. During the Cold War, he was accused of being a communist and fled America to China, where he helped China build its first atomic bomb.
XExkQ TIL using red for Republicans and blue for Democrats in the US has only been consistent since the 2000 election. Before that it was often the other way (as liberal parties have historically been red) or even other colors used.