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TIL in a double-blind test, professional violinists preferred the sound of a modern violin over multi-million-dollar Stradivarius violins

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1aAOO TIL priest Joseph Müller told a joke of a dying German soldier who asked to see people for whom he was laying down his life. The nurse laid a portrait of Hitler and Göring next to him. The soldier said "Now I can die like Jesus Christ" [between two criminals]. Müller was executed for the joke.
ANQea TIL that Madison Square Garden once held a six-day long roller skating race in 1885 that ended up killing two of the contestants. The highest-placing racers used ammonia soaked rags to keep themselves from passing out and ended up skating for over 1000 miles each by the end of the competition.
W7PN TIL Painted Turtles hibernate in cold northern climates with the help of a type of antifreeze in their blood. During hibernation, they stop breathing altogether.
NXGvJ TIL in 1965-1966 Agostino "Angus" Giuseppe A Barbieri fasted for over a year (382 days) under medical supervision to lose 276 pounds. During that time he only consumed vitamins, electrolytes and yeast as well as zero-calorie drinks. The only exceptions were small amts of milk and sugar with his tea
VN18 TIL as a struggling actor, Jim Carrey wrote himself a $10 000 000 check for ‘acting services rendered’ and dated it for thanksgiving 1995. By 1994, Carrey had made millions from Ace Ventura and Dumb and Dumber.