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TIL that when Socrates was found guilty of impiety and corruption of the youth, his punishment was put to a vote. He had the choice to suggest an alternative to death, but instead nominated that Athens provide him free meals for the rest of his life.

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JYl8k TIL Points for Deer refer to the number of actual protrusions or “points” on a rack of antlers.
6Z6W TIL that a 47yo Frenchman agreed to pay 90yo Jeanne Calment a monthly fee until she died, then take over her apartment. She would become the oldest human in history, outliving him by 2 years.
VMy9B TIL chess was originally known as chaturaṅga, literally four divisions [of the military] in Sanskrit. The pieces represented infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariotry and would later evolve into the modern pawn, knight, bishop, and rook.
d8wmd TIL that health halo is the perception that certain foods are good for you even if there is no scientific evidence to confirm this idea. This is just a misconception fueled by popular beliefs. For example, 'low-fat' is often confused with 'low-calorie'.
NXPbJ TIL In order to prepare for his work "The Raft of the Medusa" T.Géricault obsessively studied dead bodies in order to depict them accurately. He observed dying patients at a hospital and brought severed limbs into his art studio, including a severed head he spend two weeks observing