› added 7 years ago

94

TIL historians are unsure why New York is the Empire State.

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yQB98 TIL the 369th Infantry Regiment (better known as the Harlem Hellfighters) served on the front lines for 191 days during World War I, longer than any other American unit. In that time they never gave up any ground they captured.
dD7nK TIL that british climber Alan Hinkes had to be air rescued from Nanga Parbat in 1997 when flour from a burnt chapati (a type of flatbread) got up his nose, making him sneeze so violently that he prolapsed a disc. He waited 10 days in agony before being rescued and is since known as the "chapati man"
69rOX TIL in 2016, the CEO of human resources startup Zenefits had to send a memo explicitly banning drinking and having sex in the office after "several used condoms were found in the stairwell".
p8KPQ TIL that in ancient Rome, wearing pants was considered barbaric as the "civilised" cultures of the Mediterranean didn't need them. As the Empire expanded north, the Romans would be forced to adopt pants, particularly those of Celtic design, lest they freeze their balls.
oBM1Y TIL that drawer underneath your oven actually designed to keep food warm after cooking.