› added 12 years ago

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TIL the ancient Roman empress Valeria Messalina liked to work on the side as a prostitute, and won a competition with other prostitutes to see who could take more men.

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rNkny TIL dogs are cleaner than beards
XE1ER TIL Salvador Dali avoided paying restaurant tabs by using checks. He would draw on the back as the waiter watched, knowing no one would ever cash the art.
9YGeG TIL: Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, Kentucky 1977: busboy Walter Bailey (ignoring orders of his supervisor) warned a largely overcrowded dinner hall about the fire. Most ignored his warning and continued eating. 4 min later: fire engulfed the hall killing 165 and continued burning for 2 days.
jN7ba TIL Huaxi Village is the so-called richest village in China. Founded in 1961 by Wu Renbao, Huaxi touts itself as a model of Chinese communism. The citizens enjoy a high quality of life, most having well over $100,000 in their bank accounts, living in mansions, and driving expensive European cars.
R7QE4 TIL that four high-school students in the ‘70s are the reason we no longer have pay toilets in America. They created an organization called CEPTIA, and were able to successfully lobby against the issue. 8 years later, pay toilets were all but nonexistent throughout the US.