› added 9 years ago

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TIL that so many millions of people died so quickly in the influenza epidemic of 1918 that when people laid them out for their funerals in the parlor, the room got the nickname the “Death Room.” The Ladies Home Journal suggested changing the name to “Living Room” instead, to honor the living.

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ADOvw TIL there is a National Hot Dog & Sausage Council which provides guidelines on proper hot dog-eating etiquette. Ketchup is forbidden after the age of 18.
BrX6W TIL that every year in Madrid, Spain, a sleeping contest is held. Contestants’ pulse are measured throughout the contest and whoever manages to sleep the most out of the 20 minutes duration wins the event.
gWRb TIL the longest coma ever recorded is 37 years and 111 days.
ebgD TIL actor and comedian Rob Riggle was a Marine for 23 years, was a lieutenant colonel, and has received a combat award for his service in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Liberia.
b96YZ The rise of Genghis Khan and the Mongolian empire was responsible for the annihilation of an estimated 40 million people, but there were clearly more than a few conquests off the battlefield as well. A 2003 study suggests that 1 in 200 men are direct descendants of Genghis Khan. Studies of Y-chromosome data found that almost 8 percent of men living in the former Mongolian empire carry nearly identical Y chromosomes. Researchers believe this is attributed to a unique set of social selection circumstances put into play by the spread of the Mongolian empire. In this week’s "Today I Learned," research scientist Albert Lin elaborates on Genghis Khan as a romantic.