› added 10 months ago

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TIL Arrichion, a pankratiast in the ancient Olympics won a match by using a maneuver which caused his neck to break, killing him instantly. His opponent suffered from a dislocated foot, and submitted. Arrichion was named the winner.

yVQ6v TIL that the inflatable pig on the cover of Pink Floyd's album Animals broke loose from its chain tethering during the album photoshoot. The pig floated about 20,000 feet in the air causing commerical planes to land mid-flight. Fittingly, the British Royal Air Force found the pig on a farm.
mx0RP TIL US Army dentist Ben L. Salomon was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for providing a rear-guard action during the Battle of Saipan. His body was found laying on his machine gun with 98 Japanese soldiers in front of him and 76 bullet wounds (and almost as many bayonet wounds) in him.
Vdjp TIL that, despite having 70+ million viewers, Reddit is actually not profitable and in the RED. Massive server costs and lack of advertising are the main issues.
wLv7P TIL Chuck Berry's hit song Roll Over Beethoven was inspired by how his sister always used the family piano to play classical music when Berry wanted to play popular music. The title refers to how classical composers would roll in their graves upon hearing rock and roll.
9wgOB TIL King Eric XIV of Sweden was declared insane and imprisoned by his brother. After 8 years in captivity, he died in 1577—likely poisoned by a bowl of arsenic-laced pea soup.