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TIL Impalement (Execution by a slowly sliding down a pole inserted through the rectum or vagina over the course of days) was used as recently as the Armenian Genocide (~1915) by The Young Turks

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5VBJ8 TIL about a nun who, bored with monastic life and wanting “carnal” desires, faked her own death to escape, colluding with other nuns and creating a dummy of her that was buried. She was later found in a neighboring town living “indecently.” It’s unknown if she ever returned to the nunnery
X0jlR TIL the U.S. pays the Cuban government $4,085 annually in rent for the 45-square-mile naval base at Guantanamo Bay. The U.S. has leased Guantanamo Bay from Cuba for more than 50 years. Cuba has refused to cash the checks because it hasn’t recognized the legitimacy of the lease.
7rAgr TIL That the reason people drive on the left in Japan dates back to the Edo period. If the sheathes of two Samurai touched they would have to fight, usually to the death. In order to avoid this, Samurai would always walk on the left thus preventing any possibility of bumping sheathes.
jNaEX TIL The CIA extracted 6 US diplomats from Iran during the 1980 hostage crisis using comic book artist Jack Kirby's concept art for a scrapped movie as a cover story when they convinced authorities they were part of a Canadian film crew scouting locations for a movie titled Argo which was made up.
VBA4p TIL that the seven-day week originated with the ancient Sumerians and Babylonians 4,000 years ago. The names of the days of the week can be traced back to the seven “planets” recognized by these cultures: The sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn.