› added 4 years ago

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Today I learned that John Adams wanted to celebrate Independence day on July Second with, "Pomp and Parade with shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations"

Read more constitutioncenter.org

via reddit.com

b9xM0 TIL that in 2003, the mayor of Chicago illegally bulldozed the runway of a downtown airport in the middle of the night to create a park. This stranded 16 planes on the ground and required an inbound flight to be diverted. The FAA fined the city $33k - the maximum allowed at the time.
yQ1ml TIL that a minority of people use two spaces after a period and that one space has been endorsed by the Chicago Manual of Style
6E8kw TIL about a procedure called ”tooth in eye surgery”, where the patient’s tooth is removed, a tiny lens is inserted into it, and the tooth is the put inside the patient’s eye. It’s only used for rare cases of corneal blindness and only a few operations take place each year.
yQpQp TIL we basically drink the same wine as ancient Romans. Researchers found grape growers managed to keep modern grape DNA extremely consistent and similar to ancient varieties. While this kept flavors consistent, researchers worry grapes are genetically at-risk to environmental changes.
ne7DG TIL the term "meme" was created by Richard Dawkins in 1976 as a shortened version of the Greek word mimeme, which means imitated thing.