› added 5 years ago

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TIL Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (famous for his pet moose and metal nose) was kidnapped when he was two years old by his uncle. Despite Tycho's parents knowing about this, and them being nobles of phenomenal influence, they did nothing about this, and let his uncle keep him.

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n6Mb TIL Groups of Hermit Crabs will sometimes form “Vacancy Chains” around empty large shells that they themselves are too small to fit into. Once a large enough crab comes to occupy the big shell it initiates a mass swap of shells so that all crabs in the chain can get an upgrade.
R5Wga TIL that in 1961, surgeon Leonid Rogozov operated on himself for appendicitis. With local anesthesia, a mirror and the help of his colleagues, he managed to remove his appendix.
JY914 TIL about the Groom of the Stool: the most intimate of an English monarch's courtiers, responsible for assisting the king in excretion and ablution. Under Henry VII, the Groom of the Stool became a powerful official involved in setting national fiscal policy.
AQWd TIL that Elvis Presley and his entourage would rent out roller skating rinks to throw $15,000 worth of fireworks at each other while wearing “air force jump-suits plus gloves, helmets, and goggles.”
GYlQG TIL in 2001, Honda prepared to release a car called the Fit, or in European markets, 'Fitta', unaware that in Swedish, the word translates to a vulgar term for a vagina. The slogan would have been, 'The all-new Fitta, small on the outside, big on the inside.' It was renamed the Jazz before release