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TIL that in 1589 John Stubbs was sentenced by Queen Elizabeth to have his hand severed for seditious writing, and before the axe fell, he cried out, “My calamity is at hand!” - thus becoming the only known victim of Elizabeth to incorporate a pun at his dismemberment. He then fainted.

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NoPJ TIL of Lake Karachay, a lake in Russia that was used as a radioactive waste dump, and has been described as the most polluted place on the planet. Standing on the shore for an hour would give you a lethal dose of radiation.
LkOyV TIL that in 1965, a morbidly obese man didn't eat food for over an entire year. The 27 year old was 456lbs and was put under an experimental fast by doctors. He ingested only multivitamins and potassium tablets for 382 days and defecated once every 40 to 50 days. He ended up losing 275lbs.
aY4y TIL that Russians use dash cams instead of car insurance to protect themselves from many types of fraud
0w8AM TIL that a guy called Dale Schroeder used his life savings to send 33 students to college. he grew up poor in Iowa, never married, had no children, and worked as a carpenter at the same company for 67 years and only owned 2 jeans.
DaLD TIL ‘Mortal Kombat’ was originally designed as a Jean-Claude van Damme fighting game. When he wasn’t able to commit his likeness, his character was changed by the designers to 'Johnny Cage’ and the MK franchise was born.