› added 5 months ago

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TIL of the Zizhi Tongjian (completed in 1084 AD), a 294-volume chronicle of Chinese history, covering nearly 1,400 years (403 BC to 959 AD). It took 19 years to compile, and is considered one of the most ambitious works of history ever created.

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YlrA TIL that Billy Joel never sells front row seats in order to see the real fans right in front of him. He gives them away to random people in the cheap seats so that front row isn’t always just wealthy people.
4Xn8o TIL Mt. Everest was involuntarily named after George Everest, the surveyor-general of India. Andrew Waugh hoped to honor his predessor. When Everest found out, he hated the idea because the Sherpa people couldn't pronounce his name, and it didn't translate to Hindi. Waugh did it anyway.
oBgKW TIL about Ol' Rip the Horned Toad. In 1897, a horned lizard was placed in a time capsule located in the Courthouse of Eastland, Texas along with other memorabilia. When the Courthouse was torn down 31 years later, the capsule was opened and Ol' Rip supposedly came back alive. He became a celebrity.
J17V8 TIL: James Cameron ended up marrying the actress (Suzy Amis) who played Rose's granddaughter.
WkZ9X TIL the Five Civilized Tribes were deeply committed to slavery, had their own black codes, immediately reestablished slavery when they arrived in Indian territory, rebuilt their nations with slave labor, crushed slave rebellions, and enthusiastically sided with the Confederacy in the Civil War.