› added 1 year ago

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TIL some boys used to be castrated so as to keep their soprano voices due to not reaching sexual maturity. Their rib cages were also bigger allowing them more lung and vocal capacity. There is only one known recording of a castrato

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kJo74 TIL that before the 19th century, the Versailles was often extremely dirty. Women pulled up their skirts up to pee where they stood, while some men urinated in the middle of the royal chapel. Marie-Antoinette was once hit by human waste being thrown out the window as she walked through a courtyard.
v1gk7 TIL that there are only 4 passports whose holders can enter the world's largest economies [i.e. USA, EU, China, India] without a visa: Japan, Singapore, Brunei, and San Marino
XEW7R TIL about the Space-out Competition, an annual event held in South Korea where contestants must stare off into space without doing anything or falling asleep. Who wins is based on audience votes and on who has the most stable pulse. The contest lasts 90 minutes.
Zo6Y TIL Bobby Bonilla, a former baseball player who hasn’t played for the New York Mets in 17 years, negotiated a deferred money contract that will pay him $1.19 million every July 1st until 2035
R5Wxa TIL in 1977 singer Bonnie Tyler had an operation to remove vocal cord nodules and was told to rest her voice for six weeks. One day she screamed in frustration causing permanent vocal damage. This lead to her distinctive husky voice which has been a huge asset in her career.