› added 8 years ago

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TIL that in September of 2016, 180 million workers in India staged a strike. It was the largest strike in world history, and went virtually uncovered by mainstream news, as they were instead reporting on the iPhone 7 release.

DRNr TIL that the average life expectancy for those with Down syndrome has gone from 12 years in 1912, to 25 years in the 1980’s, to upwards of 60 years in the developed world today.
VMEJ0 TIL - Benjamin Franklin created mental health institutions in Philadelphia paid for by a tax on Authors (like himself) "because they happened to get a greater share of intelligence at birth just as the retarded happened to get less."
8aY9b TIL women in ancient Rome didn’t have unique first names, but instead were just named after their family name. (For example, all women from Gaius Julius Caesar’s family were named Julia. Sisters were told apart by using nicknames, such as ‘Julia the Younger’, ‘Julia the Elder’, etc.)
awoly TIL Robotic assisted surgeries have been done for more than 10 years. The Dr sits at a station in the operating room with a 3-D display and uses joystick-like controls to manipulate robotic arms, but does not physically touch the patient to perform the surgery.
0d0PM TIL k-pop phenomenon only happened because Jurassic Park. In early 90s, Korean Government officials issued a report for the president stating the movie revenue was almost equivalent of exporting 1.5 Million Hyundai cars. As a response, the government invested a lot of money in cultural industry.