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TIL Mississippi was the last state to officially abolish slavery in 2013. Two medical school colleagues saw the movie “Lincoln” and got curious about the ratification of the amendment. After noticing the oversight, they pushed for the completion of the ratification.

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NL0Q TIL: that in WW1 the occupied french town of Le Quesnoy, a walled town with a wall dating back to the medieval period was taken by New Zealand Troops without the wall being blown up. Instead a few men with a ladder climbed the wall and opened the gates from the inside preserving the wall.
06N TIL it’s “illegal” to be fat in Japan. Your waistline is measured every year and if it’s too high, you are giving dieting guidance. Companies and local governments that fail to meet requirements will receive financial penalties.
9YKVp TIL: the Defense Production Act of 1950 provides broad powers to the executive branch to mandate certain contacts with the private sector & otherwise control the civilian economy in order to ensure the production & supply of key goods in times of national defense.
PYGeE TIL the South Pacific island of Niue was named "Savage Island" by Captain James Cook, because the natives he saw were painted in what looked like blood (it was actually hulahula, a native red fe'i banana). That name was used until the original name "Niue", meaning "behold the coconut", regained use
E17VP TIL that the northern pseudoscorpion can hold its breath for up to 17 days