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nWmlY TIL about Derrick Leverton, a British anti-air officer in WW2 who, during the invasion of Sicily while waiting for his guns to be unloaded, dug his own grave, had a cup of tea, and took a nap - all while still exposed to dive bombers on the beach.
p8gkG TIL Pope Pius II sent an angry letter to Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI) rebuking him after word spread that he held a 5 hour orgy at a child's baptism. Pius wrote "In order to have more freedom for your amusements you forbade entry to the husbands, fathers, brothers, and relations.."
e01PL TIL The 'Mona Lisa' painting was created and 'tweaked' over a period of sixteen years (1503 - 1519). Da Vinci never relinquished ownership until his death and instead carried it on the backs of mules as he travelled from Florence to Milan to Rome and finally France.