› added 5 months ago

25

TIL that, until 1998, a Member of Parliament had wear a top hat to raise a point of order in the House of Commons.

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via reddit.com

6beZ TIL that the first documented appearance of “the finger” in the United States was in 1886, when Charles Radbourn, a baseball pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters, was photographed giving it to a member of their rival the New York Giants.
Me9Ga TIL about the Mafia hypothesis which suggests that certain brood parasites such as the great spotted cuckoo will destroy other species' nests if they do not care for the parasites' eggs
VBpA8 TIL of the Groom of the Stool, a nobleman who helped Renaissance-era English kings go to the bathroom and clean themselves. They later helped set national fiscal poolicy.
9YweQ TIL the Swedish propaganda/war ship Vasa sank 100m into its maiden voyage and was recovered 333 years later. Today it is the oldest preserved ship and can be seen in a Stockholm museum.
daxK TIL that lionfish are a prolific invasive species in the Atlantic Ocean and sharks typically don’t recognize them as prey. In an effort to control the lionfish population, a group of conservationists attempted to train reef sharks to prey on them.