› added 5 years ago

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TIL Agatha Christie essentially invented the standard modern crime fiction formula that most TV shows follow: A murder is committed, multiple suspects (all concealing secrets), the detective gradually uncovers the secrets, discovering the most shocking twists towards the end and solving the crime.

Wk6XL Self-declared Flat Earth researcher and DIY steam rocket enthusiast “Mad” Mike Hughes has finally managed to prove the haters wrong about his ability to blast himself some 1,875 feet into the sky without being crushed or scalded to death, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.
Dw1v TIL that in 2009 Amtrak police arrested a man because he was taking pictures of some Amtrak trains and seemed suspicious. The reason for taking the pictures, an Amtrak photo contest.
ADv0o TIL Elizabeth Swaney, a relatively amateur skier, was able to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics halfpipe by accumulating points at qualifying events leading up to the Olympics by doing flawless yet completely simple routines, outscoring opponents who often would crash in their more-ambitious runs
g4Ay TIL that ancient Greeks invented the modern shower using piped water. Rich and poor used large locker-room showers with bars to hang up clothing. Ancient Romans did the same, bringing showers to as far as England. The systems and habits of bathing every day disappeared after the fall of Rome.
nWwRb TIL that before departing from his Crusade in the Levant, Edward, Duke of Gascony (the future Edward I) fought off and killed an assassin who was wielding a poisoned dagger.