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TIL Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury threw a party where he had dwarves walk around with plates full of cocaine strapped to the tops of their heads, as an offering to his guests.

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

bgMN TIL there is a sect of Muslims in Iraq that prove their faith by stabbing themselves straight through the torso, believing that Allah will guide the blade to miss all internal organs.
Ypnxd TIL that even though almost all planes were grounded during 9/11, there was one non military plane flying after the FAA ordered all planes to land. This one plane was carrying snake anti venom to Florida to save a snake handler’s life after he had gotten bit by a Taipan snake
Wl1Y TIL the East India Trading company invaded Afghanistan in the 1840s, but ultimately lost after the Afghans annihilated a British/Indian force of over 16,000 soldiers, support staff, and civilians retreating from Kabul. The defeat has been named the worst British military disaster in history.
lok5A TIL in Sierra Leone, before getting a driver's license, you have to buy a board game called "The Drivers' Way" and play it at least once. The game involves rolling stoplight-themed dice and moving models of classic cars around a board, together with answering questions about the country’s road laws
6EaRl TIL: Alice Crook, a PhD student, analyzed Presbyterian records from 62,456 children born in Scotland between 1680 and 1839. She found middle names rare until about 1780 when their popularity began to rise dramatically—almost 99% of children in her sample who had middle names were born after 1780.