› added 9 years ago

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TIL that the metallic smell of money is actually your body oils breaking down in the presence of iron or copper. You can see this by using a paper towel to pick up a penny smelling it - no odor. Then rub your sweaty/oily fingers on it and notice the strong metallic odor. Money doesn’t smell, you do.

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aw1AN TIL In 2013, San Diego's City Attorney prosecuted a man for writing anti-bank messages in washable chalk on a public sidewalk. He faced 13 counts of vandalism and thousands of dollars in restitution. The jury acquitted him of all charges.
v1m44 TIL of John Frederick Parker, the bodyguard assigned to Abraham Lincoln on the night of his assassination, not only was he 3 hours late, but he left his post to get a drink at a saloon next door. It was during this that Booth entered the box seats where Lincoln was sitting and shot the president.
VMYmB TIL: In Medieval Germany, peasants believed in a magical land called “Cockaigne”, or “schlaraffenland”, where you could grab pork sausage off of trees or have cooked fish swim out of a beer river and onto your plate. This tale stuck and motivated the working class; in fact, it’s still told today!
wQpP TIL The fireman’s pole came about when a firefighter on the top floor slid down a pole used for binding hay during transport. It prompted his Captain to convince the Chief to install a hole and pole. They were targets of lots of jokes until people realized the company always showed up first.
wjPP TIL Ben Franklin’s Proposal for Daylight Savings time was originally written as a joke.