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TIL that in 1939, a test cricket match between England and South Africa lasted for 12 days. It was eventually abandoned so that the English team could catch a ship back to the United Kingdom. That was the last "timeless test". Modern test cricket matches end in a draw after 5 days.

R5JQ TIL that Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout was held captive by Somali insurgents for 460 days, suffering terrible abuse and malnutrition. Upon her release, she created a charity to help Somalians and returned to deliver food during the drought in 2011.
neadW TIL under European law, all wine bottles bearing the name „champagne“ must be bottled within 100 miles of the champagne region of France. Any other „champagne“ is considered sparkling wine and must be labeled as such. It also must be hand-picked grapes pressed in a closed environment.
YpD1x TIL In 1936, King George V was injected with 1g of cocaine and 750mg of morphine - enough to kill him twice - to make sure he died in time for printing presses which rolled at midnight.
V8jm TIL that some sections of “Bohemian Rhapsody” have up to 180 separate tracks, which required the vocal parts to be sung 10-12 hours per day. Record studios of the era only offered 24-track recording, requiring constant overdubs. The same tapes were reused so much, they could be seen through.
0dpap Today I learned that genuine wasabi is rare and likely not even served in most high-end sushi restaurants. Apparently the real deal is difficult to grow as it’s quite picky and takes approx. three years to mature.