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TIL the Emperor Claudius decreed that any slaves left by their masters to die at the Temple of Asclepius would instead be freed if they recovered

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BgdAK TIL about Prophyrios, a whale that wreaked havoc on ships over a 50 year period in Greece during the middle ages. The Greek king made it an important matter to capture it, though he could not come up with a way to do so.
Z8YMp TIL Sting was originally chosen to sing the opening song to The Emperor's New Groove. He refused stating he was too old, and they should get someone younger and more hip. They went on to choose Tom Jones, 11 years his senior.
M7JyV TIL that there is a small island in Japan filled with wild rabbits that roam freely, and it's called Rabbit Island.
a80w0 TIL that James Conrad Marshall, killed in the Viet Cong attack on the U.S. Embassy during the Tet Offensive was the first Marine Security Guard to die in defense of a U.S. embassy or consulate.
j6G4p TIL about the English village of Eyam. During the bubonic plague outbreak of 1665-6, the inhabitants of Eyam quarantined themselves, in a famous act of self-sacrifice, to prevent the spread of the plague.