› added 9 years ago

92

TIL the word “sanction” is an auto-antonym, a word with two contradicting meanings. It means both to approve of an action, and to penalize for an offense.

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NwLN TIL male trees lacking a female mate are often responsible for allergies (the equivalency of “blue balls” in animals, except with super pollination)
69PaW TIL that in 1971 the Shah of Iran threw one of the most expensive parties in history, costing hundreds of millions of dollars. It was attended by nearly all royal families and presidents, and spared no expense. The over extravagance arguably led to the islamic revolution and ousted him from power.
jNNJR TIL The first rocket in India was transported on a bicycle and launched from a church
5VgP TIL there´s a hugely popular reality show in China that interviews death row prisoners moments before their execution
GALKE TIL that in 1929, Charles Lawson took his family Christmas shopping and had a photo taken just days before he murdered his wife and six of his children on Christmas Day, then killed himself. Only his eldest son, Arthur, survived as he was sent on an errand before the tragedy.