› added 10 years ago

164

TIL a man died while cleaning machinery with gasoline, which dripped onto a rat that was running across the floor. The rat’s gasoline-coated fur ignited when it ran beneath a heater with a pilot light, causing an explosion that killed the worker - a story of negligence now taught in law schools.

xV54w TIL Atlanta artist TI has saved at least two people from suicide attempts. One of them was the lead singer of Creed, Scott Stapp. The other was a 24-year-old Atlanta resident who was going to jump from a 22-story building. After hearing about the situation, TI drove to the scene to help.
Zw14 TIL a homeless alcoholic survived 9 deadly attempts on his life as an insurance scam by the owners of a local bar. The scammers originally tried to get him to die of alcohol consumption; after every attempt, he returned for more free drinks.
6EXvW TIL there is a Christmas tradition in Catalonia involving an anthropomorphic log that defecates candy. On Christmas Eve, children beat the log with sticks while singing the song "Caga tió" ("Shit, log") so that candy might appear the next morning.
GAm9N TIL about Alex Zanardi, an Italian racing driver. In 2001, as a result of a crash during a race, he lost both of his legs. After the crash, he took up handcycling, a form of paralympic cycling, and won gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics
oROlK TIL 71 year old Bernard Gore was supposed to meet his wife and daughter in a mall in Sydney after first doing a little shopping himself. Instead, he exited a mall door leading to a stairwell labyrinth and was found dead 3 weeks later failing to find his way out.