› added 12 years ago

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TIL a 16th century French peasant was accused of being an imposter by his family after being gone for 8 years and then living with his wife and child for a subsequent 3 years. Just as he was about to be found innocent, the real husband showed up in court.

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neLdo TIL that when Walt Whitman's collection of poetry 'Leaves of Grass' was published in 1855 it was met with so much ridicule that one critic went as far as to request Whitman commit suicide.
1XZd TIL potatoes have almost all nutrients humans need to survive. To prove this, the Executive Director from the Washington State Potato Commission ate nothing but potatoes for 60 days.
m11yM TIL that Nancy Astor, the first female Member of Parliament (UK) was an anti-Semite and Nazi sympathiser.
l7vyB TIL of the University of Bologna, the oldest in the Western World. A public university established in 1088, it's never been out of operation and counts over 80k students.
6p4w TIl that due to the Earth rotational bulge, the highest point on Earth is not Mt. Everest, but Chimborazo, Ecuador