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TIL that between the 1920s and the 1990s, around half a million US prisoners underwent state-sanctioned plastic surgery in attempts to rehabilitate repeat offenders based on the idea that appearance impacted the likelihood of reoffending.

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Z8RjG TIL the first webcam was created by lazy programmers who wanted to see if their office's coffee was ready without leaving their desk.
kJdA4 TIL that the US considered dropping an atomic bomb on Kyoto. However, Secretary of War Henry Stimson had vacationed there and admired the city. So, he convinced President Truman to choose another target due to Kyoto’s religious significance. Nagasaki was chosen in its place.
4XG0g TIL wild blueberries bushes grow naturally in rocky terrain via a dense network of underground rhizomes that helps with nutrient extraction. A controlled field burn in the off-season, traditionally practiced by Native Americans on the Maine coast, enriches the soil and provides pest/weed control.
w5a7 TIL that the US Supreme Court building has a basketball court on the top floor known as “The Highest Court in the Land”
XEKPP TIL that In 1977, the power went out in New York City for about 25 hours, resulting in more than 1,000 fires being set and over 1,500 stores being looted