› added 2 years ago

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TIL of there existed a government Music Bureau in Dynastic China aka the Ministry of Music which wasnt a music academy like today, it collected poems & musical scores & choreography to inform the emperor of the thoughts, feelings, and conditions of the various people in different parts of the empire

4X5WX TIL That during the Vietnam War, the American navy laid thousands of sea mines in the waters off North Vietnam. In August of 1972 a solar storm caused 4,000 of them to spontaneously explode in just a few weeks.
l709K TIL The remains of the iconic train crash from the movie The Fugitive can still be found rusting along the Great Smoky Railroad as a tourist attraction in Dillsboro, North Carolina.
Oowxg TIL a contortionist committed a series of thefts by hiding inside a suitcase underneath an airport shuttle bus, searching for valuables, and returning to the suitcase with them. A victim became suspicious after the man's accomplice rushed for the suitcase and proceeded to have a conversation with it
VMn4Q TIL that James Michael Tyler only got the role of Gunther the barista in 'Friends' because he was the only extra who actually knew how to use a cappuccino machine. He would go on to portray the character in 144 of the show's 238 episodes, and he still receives residuals from his work on the show.
KYdo4 TIL a group of religious folks in Canada that believed in anarchy, vegetarianism and being naked clashed violently with the government. They detonated bombs and had naked protest parades because they felt their land and children were being unfairly taken from them