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TIL Nicholas Culpeper, a 17th century physician married to wealthy heiress, enabling him to provide services free of charge while translating Latin medical text into English then sold them very cheaply for the poor who can't afford expensive physicians

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xNXw TIL Snake Oil was a real product sold by the Clark Stanley company, and in 1917 the U.S. Govt. had a bottle of it tested, but discovered that it contained inert ingredients and no actual oils extracted from snakes. The government sued and won damages of $20.
yQZy8 TIL that ~95% of the material for the set on Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions was salvaged and reused, some going towards companies who build housing for low-income families.
wL8k8 TIL that a man who had severe allergy, intentionally infected himself with hookworms after he read that parasites might cure allergy. After he got infected by walking barefoot in latrines, the worms actually treated his allergy. He later started to sell worm eggs on the internet.
Odx7 TIL In 2004, An NYU Student spent 8 months living in the college library due to being unable to afford tuition and room & board despite a $15000/yr scholarship and working 30 hours a week. Upon learning about this, the university gave him free accommodation through the summer.
4Xbew TIL if the Queen pops her handbag on the table at dinner, it reportedly means she wants dinner to end within the next five minutes. If it goes on the floor, rumour has it, she's tired of the conversation and wants to be whisked off quickly by her lady-in-waiting.