› added 12 years ago

95

TIL until the Great Depression, a man could be sued for monetary damages if he broke off an engagement; if he’d already had sex with his fiance, damages were “greatly increased.” (Oh, and guys, we have De Beers to thank for the “two months salary on a ring” expectation.)

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7rmxp TIL The Battle of Leyte Gulf was, by some criteria, the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. The Japanese lost 1 fleet carrier, 3 light carriers, 3 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, 11 destroyers, 300 aircraft, & 12,500 killed
VMlg4 TIL A study concluded that when humans forbid dogs to eat foods, dogs are 4 times more likely to steal the food in the dark, when they think humans can’t spot them. Dogs based their stealing strategies on their belief that humans can see or not in low light conditions.
Medm8 TIL that Meatloaf's video for I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) was directed by Michael Bay
4kV5b TIL about the Nyckelharpa, the national musical instrument of Sweden. It is a string instrument with keys which, when depressed, serve as frets to change the pitch of the string. Dating back to c. 1350, it was recently used by composer Natalie Holt for the background score of the series Loki.
XQgk TIL No one was burned at the stake for witchcraft in Salem. They were all hanged, with the exception of Giles Corey who was pressed to death over the course of two days