› added 11 years ago

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TIL that the personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperor were primarily Scandinavians and Anglo-Saxons. They comprised the “Varangian Guard” which was also an Elite Unit of the Byzantine Army. The loyalty and honor of these “axe-bearing barbarians” became a trope of Byzantine writers.

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1XnW TIL Billiards tables are sometimes referred to as pool tables because back in the 1800’s men used to pool together bets for horse races. These “pools” were in special rooms called poolrooms where owners placed billiard tables to pass the time.
rNyWy TIL that fish are not silent underwater. They actually make a large variety of sounds, from clicking to squeals, with some even chirping like birds. These noises are used to communicate many different things, like warning off other fish or announcing the presence of a predator.
WkL7B TIL Brandenn E. Bremmer was a musical prodigy who taught himself to read at 18 months and played the piano at age 3 He completed high school at age 10 and commited suicide at 14.
grAmL TIL in 1986 while being filmed for the Bangles music video "Walk Like An Egyptian", Susanna Hoffs moved her eyes from side to side to look at certain members in the crowd to counter stage fright and had no idea that a close up of her doing so would become a focal point and iconic moment in the video
p85N8 Today I learned that Eva Mozes Kor and her sister survived the Holocaust Twin Experiments. They never got to say goodbye to their family, and were the only two to survive. Instead of hating them for what they’ve put her through, Eva forgave them. She died July 4, 2019.