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TIL that in 1659 the Massachusetts Bay Colony imposed a penalty for observing Christmas due to its pagan origins, calling it a “great dishonnor of God and offence of others.”

Read more mass.gov

via reddit.com

W7QeN TIL Australia nearly became a republic in a 1999 referendum but was defeated 45/54
6EkvZ TIL London Taxi drivers have to memorize ~25,000 streets (called "the Knowledge") in order to get licensed. A 2000 study found that they have larger hippocampi, a part of the brain associated with learning and memory.
4kWlN TIL that Neptune is not actually the brilliant ocean blue we’ve grown accustomed to. That was an enhanced color image to make surface features pop. The true color is much closer to the pale green-blue of Uranus.
4QkJ TIL of Archibald McArthur, a successful Wisconsin lawyer who took a vow of poverty, later moved to Florida at age 79, and left his family members each $5, while leaving his remaining fortune of $3 million in today’s money to a stranger he met on a park bench.
vmbB TIL that 35% of British adults sleep with a teddy bear