› added 12 years ago

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TIL that Union General John Sedgwick’s last words were, “I’m ashamed of you, dodging that way. They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance.” He fell over with a bullet hole under his left eye seconds later.

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P1OnV TIL about a device called the beauty micrometer, which was used to measure facial features to determine how much makeup can be used and was invented by beautician Max Factor
4k4mJ TIL of the concept of a Savior Sibling, a child who is conceived in order to provide a stem cell transplant to a sibling that is affected with a fatal disease
OGj61 TIL that Germany has a formal political position for the leader of whatever political party is losing, known as the Leader of the Opposition (Oppositionführer). They are still a part of the Bundestag parliament even though they are not in government.
n8xY TIL in the original novel Dracula, Count Dracula could turn into a wolf.
KO784 TIL that hundred thousands of kudzu plants were planted in the US South to fight erosion. The vine can spread over one foot a day and spread through runners, rhizomes and by vines that root at the nodes. It is now overtaking entire areas, outcompeting all other plants including trees