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TIL: In 1865, Edouard de Laboulaye organized a meeting for a commemorative gift for the United States that would recognize the liberation of the slaves. That gift ended up being the Statue of Liberty. However by the time it was unveiled in 1886 the original meaning had been lost.

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xVe61 TIL since 2011, NOAA has required the use of thinner, weaker hooks, in the Gulf of Mexico, that straighten to release large bluefin tuna before they die of exhaustion on the line, which resulted in 75% less dead, discarded fish in the Gulf.
kJvB5 TIL the 145m year old araucaria araucana (or monkey puzzle tree) has survived mass extinctions and ice ages, but is currently endangered
nkJo TIL that for decades, the German Army issued a handheld single shot disposable flamethrower. The 16 inch long “Handflammpatrone” weighs only 1.4lbs(620g), yet it has a range of 90 meters…and can burn a surprisingly large area.
MeEPV TIL A woman was elected to Congress before women’s suffrage. American women were given the right to vote in 1920, but Jeanette Rankin became the first woman in the U.S. federal office in 1916.
Wd9Y TIL The CFPB found that 61 percent of bank profits from consumer checking accounts come from overdraft and insufficient funds fees