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TIL students once made Oxford the murder capital of late medieval England. A 2023 study found that it had a murder rate 4-5x higher than that of London or York & 50x higher than current rates in 21st century English cities. The mix of young male students & booze was often a powder keg for violence.

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7yJr TIL the crew of a US destroyer threw potatoes at a surfaced Japanese submarine that was too close to attack. This distracted the submarine’s crew, allowing the destroyer to steam far enough away to shoot the submarine and sink it.
PYENw TIL the 1994 NBA MVP Hakeem Olajuwon released pairs of $35 sneakers instead of endorsing shoes from other brands. He said, “How can a poor working mother with three boys buy Nikes or Reeboks that cost $120…She can’t. So kids steal these shoes from stores and others. Sometimes they kill for them
xrvb TIL Knocker Upper , before alarm clockswere affordable or reliable. A knocker-up’s job was to rouse sleeping people so they could get to work on time. They used a truncheon or short, heavy stick to knock on the clients’ doors or a long and light stick to reach windows on higher floors.
9YJY6 TIL in 1994, country music singer Alan Jackson was asked to use a pre-recorded version of his song 'Gone Country' when performing live at the award show. He protested by having his drummer perform with no drum sticks in his hand the whole performance
DQXXD TIL As a British colony in the 1870s, Prince Edward Island was first promoted as a place to get away from the high-pressured society of North America. Many Americans saw Canada as a foreign land that resembled the old country of England but without the bustle