› added 1 year ago

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TIL that in the 17th century, when coffee had made its way to Europe, some people reacted to it with suspicion or fear, calling it the “bitter invention of Satan.” In 1615, the clergy in Venice asked Pope Clement VIII to intervene. He found the drink so satisfying that he gave it papal approval.

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Z8PmY TIL about Elizabeth Sugrue, Irelands only female executioner. Sentenced to death, she volunteered to hang the other prisoners in exchange for her life, as the local hangman was ill on that day. Her offer was accepted, and she was kept for the job.
Xl6k TIL that bear hair has been found in the scats of “El Jefe”, the only wild jaguar in the United States.
wMN1 TIL that Frank Silva, a set dresser on the pilot of Twin Peaks, was given the role of Bob by accident, after a reflection of his face in a mirror was accidentally captured by the camera during filming. When series creator David Lynch saw Silva’s face, he liked it so much he kept it in the show.
E1BNd TIL that Dr. James Barry, a celebrated surgeon, was born Margaret Bulkley and adopted a male persona to become the UK’s first female doctor, carrying out the first successful caesarean delivery. She fooled the Army, high society & the whole British Empire. This secret was only revealed after death.
d8w4r Today I Learned about Ray Holmes, an RAF pilot during the Battle of Britain who saved Buckingham Palace from destruction by ramming a German aircraft, nearly killing himself in the process, and ejecting, only to land in a garbage bin.