› added 12 years ago

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TIL the term “running amok,” used for when something gets out of hand, is named after random unprovoked murder frenzies in Malaysian culture

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5VGrR TIL spider legs and dicks work on the same principle
JYXjV TIL Catherine Parr, last wife of Henry VIII, her funeral was the first Protestant funeral in England, Scotland or Ireland to be held in English. She is the only royal to be buried in a private residence.
0d9OR Today I learned that the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique from Kill Bill is somewhat based on reality. It’s called Commotio Cordis, where sudden cardiac arrest can result from a single (not necessarily heavy) blow to the chest at a very particular moment in the heart’s rhythm.
BrN7x TIL that JFK ordered 1200 Cuban cigars just a day before declaring the Cuban trade embargo.
rpGW TIL that in 1974 an Army Private stole a helicopter from his base, landed on the White House lawn before taking off again in a high speed helicopter chase (forcing one Police chopper to land), he was shot down only after returning to the White House. He received a year in prison and small fine.