› added 10 years ago

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TIL that in the early years of baseball, it was common for players to go in the stands and assault heckling fans. Ty Cobb once attacked a handicapped man for calling him a “half-nigger.” Fans shouted at him to stop because the man had no hands, he reportedly retorted “I don’t care if he got no feet”

XE4bP TIL: In 1696, William III introduced a tax which required those living in houses with more than 6 windows to pay a levy.To avoid this, house owners would brick up all windows except 6. As the bricked-up windows prevented rooms from receiving any sunlight, the tax was known as daylight robbery.
mpMp TIL that “Horseback riding carries a higher injury rate than motorcycle riding.”
yQWll TIL that a stolen Degas painting worth 800,000 euros was found inside of a suitcase in a bus near Paris, during a random search by customs officials. It had been stolen in 2009. None of the passengers admitted to owning it and nobody was arrested.
Br7ob TIL of Lisa McVey, the only girl to escape serial killer Bobby Long. She was 17 when he abducted her & she was going home to commit suicide. Long held her hostage for 26 hours. Using her wit, she managed to escape & the ordeal made her realize her desire to live. She’s now a police officer.
gMyaD TIL about Arlington House, which was owned by Robert E. Lee and Mary Custis Lee, the step-great-granddaughter of George Washington. It was seized and later returned by the government. Lee’s son then sold it to the government. Its grounds are now the site of Arlington National Cemetery.