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Today I learned that the Original Olympic Flag was stolen by an American Diver on a dare then kept by him for 80 years.

Read more news.bbc.co.uk

via reddit.com

VBolD TIL about the Essex, an American whaling ship that was sunk by a sperm whale in 1820. The survivors made for land off the South American coast. Seven crew members were cannibalized before eight survivors were rescued. The tragedy gained international attention, inspiring the novel, Moby Dick.
rKnw TIL that when the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was passed, only the birdseed industry successfully lobbied against it by arguing that hemp seeds gave birds shinier feathers than other seeds. Because of this, birdseed producers are legally allowed to import hemp seeds into the US (deactivated) today.
gMp6D TIL that the first ever manned flight into a hurricane was done in a single engined plane by Joseph Duckworth on a bet in 1943
9YOEr TIL of Mother Featherlegs, a prostitute from Wyoming named so for her frilly lace underwear. She was murdered by her partner "Dangerous Dick" Davis in 1879. There is a monument to her near Lusk, WY - called the the only monument in the United States to a prostitute.
b9oMQ TIL that William Shakespeare invented many popular phrases for his plays that we still use in everyday life, including: 'vanish into thin air,' 'there's a method to my madness,' 'wild-goose chase",' 'wear my heart upon my sleeve,' 'love is blind,' 'to come full circle,' etc.