woQKW TIL that the English (and later British) monarchs consistently styled themselves as King/Queen of France from Henry VI in 1422 to George III in 1801. The abolition of the French monarchy rendered the title useless.
R5Qn6 TIL about the Virginia dynasty, a term sometimes used to describe the fact that four of the first five presidents of the United States were from Virginia. After the state contributed four of the first five presidents, four other natives of Virginia have so far served as president.
W7Wx8 TIL that a 1984 televised mock trial of Richard III, King of England was conducted in regard to his connection the death of his nephews, the Princes of the Tower. The trial applied modern legal doctrine and determined that there wasn’t enough evidence to convict him of their murder.
9weQm TIL about the the Caganer (or "pooper"), a figurine depicted in the act of defication, popular in Catalonia, Spain, Southern France and Andorra, that is often placed in nativity scenes. The tradition has existed since at least the early 18th century.
nW1mY TIL: in the 1920s, composer Maurice Ravel wrote an experimental work consisting only of one very long, gradual crescendo. He was astonished and displeased that the work, "Boléro", became a massive success. When a listener shouted "Rubbish!" at the premiere, he said "That old lady got the message!"
4kwLw TIL of Dancing Mania, a historical phenomenon, where large groups of people, up to thousands at a time, danced uncontrollably for days, sometimes to death.
x6xaD TIL that, unlike his father Benjamin Franklin, William Franklin was a staunch British loyalist who went into exile after the Revolutionary War and died in London in 1813.
5V6QR TIL The lyrics to the Beatles 1969 song “Golden Slumbers”, written by Paul McCartney, were taken from a 1603 lullaby, “Cradle Song”.
M7vM8 TIL that famed sheriff Buford Pusser who lost his wife in a supposed retaliatory attack in 1967 and inspired the 1973 movie “Waling Tall” is now believed by investigators to be his wife’s murderer after an autopsy was finally performed on her in 2024.
j6aZQ TIL that lots of different animals and birds like to take dust baths instead of normal water baths
0dn95 TIL the motto of Boring, Oregon is "The most exciting place to live!"
grk8D TIL Charles Darwin was invited on the HMS Beagle voyage as a companion to the captain, Robert FitzRoy, who feared the isolation of a five-year journey might drive him to suicide