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TIL that most “brick” crosswalks are merely stamped, colored asphalt

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8e85G TIL that for a period of 20 years, Argentina ranked as one of the wealthiest nations on Earth, having the highest GDP per capita in 1895 and being among the 10 richest until 1920. Today, the country is in crippling debt, and is considered one of the biggest economic downturns in modern history.
rRWL4 TIL the one liner, "Why Do We Drive on Parkways and Park on Driveways?" seems ironic because the terms predate automobiles. Way means path, park means scenic natural space, and drive means short private road.
WkJlB TIL the bishop of Orlando is also bishop of the moon, due to a canon law that says "any newly discovered territory would fall under the bishopric from whence the discovering expedition departed." His is therefore the largest Catholic diocese, at over 14,000,000 square miles.
Wkwo TIL That the quote from 300 where a Persian tells a Spartan that their arrows will blot out the sun, and the Spartan replies ‘then we shall fight in the shade’, is a real quote from a Spartan named Dienekes.
7rMjM TIL that when Mt. Everest was found to be the tallest mountain on Earth at 29000ft (the estimate at the time), an extra 2 feet were added on top of the number because they feared if it was too round of a number, the public would think they had picked an arbitrary number.