› added 1 month ago

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TIL the "whoopee cushion" has actually been around since ancient times and there was even a Roman emperor known for tricking guests into sitting on one.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

rQNx TIL that the famous flag over the Reichstag photo from WW2 had to be edited because one of the soldiers had a wristwatch on each arm, indicating he had been looting.
VZkm TIL: When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, a Massachusetts church feared he would impose his French “religious infidelity” on the country – so their pastor delivered a “Mammoth Cheese” to the White House inscribed with a quote from Jefferson: “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God”
N7gGJ TIL a Missouri Man purposely damaged a levee on the Mississippi River to delay his wife coming home so he could party. He flooded 14,000 acres and was later arrested and convicted of causing a catastrophe and sentenced to life in prison.
Y7yDd TIL there are depictions of Knights engaging Snails in battle drawn in the margins of late 13th century medieval written works like song & prayer books, & even papal letters. They include man-sized snails, snails hovering in mid air, & man/snail hybrids ridden by rabbits. Their origins are a mystery
P18RO TIL that it’s currently impossible to cross the Hudson River by car in NYC without paying a toll. The closest toll free bridge is 4 hours away in Albany.