› added 9 years ago

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TIL that in Iceland the belief in Elves is so pervasive that it can determine government action. From roads avoiding large rocks (where the Elves “live”) to construction permits sometimes requiring the aide of a mystic who can ask the elves to move.

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d8ao9 TIL despite his bad reputation, Emperor Nero was adored by the common people and his policies consistently favored the poor. He lowered taxes, ensured their legal aid and promoted art and culture instead of violent sports. The historians that vilified him were rich senators, his political enemies
Xyv6 TIL that the term “Gaslighting” comes from a 1938 stage play called Gas Light in which a husband tries to make his wife think she’s going insane through mental manipulation
VM8Km TIL that First Lady Anna Harrison was still packing up her house in Ohio when US Pres. William Henry Harrison died on his 30th day in office. She is the only first lady to have never moved into the White House
DbGg TIL the Beastie Boys won a lawsuit against a company for the unauthorized use of their song “Girls” and had the $1 Million settlement donated to a charity supporting education for Girls
r68y TIL Famed Skeptic James Randi will often swallow entire bottles of “Homeopathic Sleeping Pills” in front of live audiences to prove that they are nothing more than fake pills.