› added 12 years ago

112

TIL Jeff Bridges was four months old in his first film appearance

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ex6n TIL in Italy, old people “adopt” students, who can’t afford rent, to their homes in exchange for company and a little help around the house (website in italian)
e0LNb TIL The cravat originated in Croatia. The French army enlisted Croatian mercerneries who tied/knotted cloth around their necks with linen, silks or other fabric. The word comes from the French mispronounciation of the word "croate", meaning Croatian.
oR19W TIL Two-thirds of Toronto's original Chinatown was demolished for the construction of Nathan Phillips Square and City Hall in 1965
KOmW4 TIL before the WWII Battle of Okinawa, the Japanese military forced Okinawan boys as young as 14 to fight against the US invasion. They weren't expected to win so the boys were given suicide missions. The only weapon most were given were 2 grenades - one for the US solders the other for themselves.
J1W1v TIL: GPS satellites don't ever actually interact with GPS devices at all. 31 US satellites simply broadcast their position non-stop and GPS devices triangulate their own position using the location of 3 "nearby" satellites.