› added 1 week ago

2

TIL of the siege of Beitang cathedral during the Boxer rebellion, where 41 Italian and French marines managed to hold off thousands of Chinese troops for months until Japanese allies arrived to relieve the siege, saving the lives of 3,900 Christians who took refuge inside the cathedral.

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e7VE TIL that the state treasury of zimbabwe is only 217$.
p8o5A Today I learned that Mel Gibson's father was a reactionary Catholic and antisemitic conspiracy theorist who was also the grand champion of Jeopardy! in 1968
0OXj TIL that the term “it ain’t over til’ the fat lady sings” originally references the conclusion of a lengthy epic four part opera called Der Ring des Nibelungen; in which, the “fat lady” or Valkyrie Brünnhilde sings for about 20 minutes, signaling the end the nearly 16 hour saga.
ADw7a TIL that peanuts are a fruit, and the only fruit that grows underground (root fruit!)
rN0AM TIL many survived the Pompeii volcanic explosion and the ones that were buried had time to go home, gather their family, valuables, and religious iconography before trying to flee and being caught in a "traffic jam"