› added 11 years ago

97

TIL that the Los Angeles Police Department changed the rank of “inspector” to be called “commander” because “senior officers voiced a preference for the more military-sounding rank”

0wM1A TIL that the ingredients used by the witches in Macbeth, such as eye of newt and toe of frog, are actually just old terms for herbs, flowers and plants. In particular, eye of newt is the name for mustard seeds and toe of frog refers to buttercups.
KYjpB TIL of King Charles II of Navarre. Known as The Bad, he was a scheming and ineffective ruler in southern France. To treat his ailments, he was sewn into a brandy-soaked canvas, a common practice at the time. Unfortunately, the fabric was accidentally set on fire, and he burned alive in 1387.
8aldV TIL the US Army does not keep any record of "confirmed kills". Servicemen routinely report successful hits to their superiors and personally keep track.
ZpeOa TIL: William S. Burroughs killed his wife while playing William Tell. She stood 3 meters away from him with a drinking glass on her head. Meaning to shoot the glass, Burroughs shot her in the head. He dismissed the killing as being performed by an external force that wanted to control him.
PYPoe TIL A high school janitor stumbled upon a teacher who took nude photos of a student when he found a CD labeled 300 while cleaning his classroom. He thought it was the Zack Snyder film and reported the teacher after finding out the real content on the disk.