› added 7 months ago

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TIL that the buildings on the Greek Islands are whitewashed partially because whitewash was used as a cheap disinfectant that prevented cholera and other serious diseases in the early 20th Century

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via reddit.com

woYr8 TIL about Lord Sedley, a prominent member of Charles II court, who was fined for getting naked and performing obscenities on a balcony in 1663, only to pay his fine with the kings money.
Oad1 TIL salt was so important throughout human history that the word ‘salary’ derives from the Latin word salārium, referring to money given to soldiers so they could buy salt.
Z6wa TIL Bob Anderson who trained Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) in sword fighting also wore the Darth Vader suit during the lightsaber duels in Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
4lON TIL that the Schizophrenic artist Bryan Charnley painted self-portraits for years representing his descent into madness, until his suicide in 1991
wxgE TIL that after the death of Alexander the Great, the architect Dinocrates proposed to have the entirety of Mount Athos carved in the general’s likeness.