› added 2 years ago

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TIL that 'Penny dreadful', which started in Britain in the 1830's, were the first 'Pop Culture' product. The serial stories, mass produced for new, young readers, sold up to a million copies per week. Each chapter had 8-16 pages and cost a penny. Sensational topics included crime, the supernatural.

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wOZ7 TIL that in the ‘60s, Disneyland had women dressed as mermaids sunning themselves and performing synchronized swimming in the lagoon of the Submarine Voyage. Male guests would sometimes jump in lagoon try to talk to them.
QNWYX TIL of Flavius Claudius Julianus (Julian), the last Pagan emperor of Rome, and how he was the last pagan ruler after 312CE and attempted to reinstate paganism after Christianity had become the sole State religion.
oBblY Today I learned that in America, a M-134 (commonly referred to as a Mini-gun, due to the small caliber relative to its weapon type) can be legally owned by a civilian. And 11 of them are. And that a traditional Gatling gun isn’t considered a machine gun so it can also be owned completely legally.
0dwl5 TIL of John Cummings, who after seeing a circus knife-swallower, actually swallowed 4 knives to brag to his shipmates - he passed 3 with no ill-health.
Z8ZVa TIL that the Joint Chiefs of Staff came up with 'Operation Northwoods', a proposal made to JFK that would allow the CIA to carry out false flag attacks in America. Blame was to be put on Cuba, providing America with the justification for military intervention. JFK rejected the proposal.