› added 11 years ago

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TIL In 1965, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson said to the Greek ambassador “Fuck your parliament and your constitution. America is an elephant. Cyprus is a flea. Greece is a flea. If these two fellows continue itching the elephant they may just get whacked by the elephant’s trunk, whacked good.”

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P1aXO TIL that from 1801 to 1810 a pirate named Zheng Yi Sao was active in the South China Sea, eventually rising to lead a pirate confederacy. When she retired in 1810, she had 24 ships and 1433 pirates under her personal command. She later served as a privateer and retired to run a casino, dying at 68.
mxn9v TIL William Jennens was the richest commoner in England when he died. He had gone to sign his will but forgot his glasses and brought it home to sign the next day and died before he could. The court case over inheritance was argued for 117 years, until the money was exhausted by legal fees.
9d4D TIL that it is possible for a human to become a Chimera by fusing with his/her fraternal twin in the womb. If it occurs early enough, each twin will claim body parts as his/her own, allowing a single person to be made up of two genetically different individuals.
5YVED TIL of the "Mile Into The Wild" Walkway, an elevated walkway in a refuge for more than 450 Lions, Tigers, Bears, Wolves and other rescued carnivores. It's elevated because the animals do not consider sky as territory, allowing humans to observe them without causing a fight or flight response.
jN6Ba TIL that there is such thing as "the fear of running out of toilet paper" called acartohygieiophobia