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TIL Jamaica was the first part of the British Empire to emancipate Jews, granting them full equal rights, eventually leading to their emancipation across the empire

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kJn05 TIL a pickle is a cucumber
R7VG4 TIL that Christopher Hitchens once agreed to be waterboarded for an article in Vanity Fair. He was given two metal objects, to drop as a non-vocal signal to show that he wanted to stop, and a safe word- “red”. It only took a few seconds for him to throw the objects down and end the experiment.
PYokO TIL Salvador Dali would hold a key or a spoon in his hand with a tin plate on the floor. If he drifted asleep, the key for spoon would fall and hit the plate waking him up. This is how he was able to create his paintings; while staying awake and being in a quasi-dream state of mind
VQxp TIL that in order to preserve the state’s natural beauty, billboards are completely banned in the state of Vermont and have been for over 45 years.
QNap9 TIL that a blank TV screen received good audience ratings. During a strike by ITV workers in 1979, the UK network aired a caption stating "Transmissions will start again as soon as possible". One million TVs stayed tuned to ITV, as people hoped the strike would end soon. It ended after 11 weeks.