› added 6 years ago

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TIL about a UN weapons inspector (David Kelly) who after declaring that Saddam Hussein had no WMDs (contradicting Britain's motive for involvement in the war) was found dead of an apparent suicide just 2 days later. His postmortem examination was then made classified for 70 years.

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Egx1X TIL "1" wasn't considered a number by Ancient Greeks (even Aristotle & Euclid). Numbers were multitudes of units (1 was the unit). "One is the seed of number but not number." This view didn't change til 1701 AD, when 1 was defined as a number in the first math dictionary: "Mathematicks Made Easie"
6EdnY TIL that New York City is built on an ancient mountain range so old that it has eroded away entirely. Skyscrapers stand where the bedrock is strongest but can't be built where it isn't. That means the tall buildings mark the spots where the mountains once stood.
xVVBB TIL the "Hitler" mustache was originally coined as the "Toothbrush Mustache" before Hitler came along. It was also known as the 1/3, the postage stamp, and the soul stache.
jlKN TIL of John Willis, the only white member of Ping On, Boston’s Chinese mafia. He was introduced to the group by a young Asian man he saved. John later learned Chinese, became the boss’ chief bodyguard, and received the nickname “White Devil”. He is currently in a federal prison for drug trafficking.
LPZ9 TIL at the age of 14 Andrew Jackson was captured by the British. An officer order Jackson to clean his boots, Jackson refused. The office hit him in the face with his sword leaving a life long scar on his cheek.