› added 5 years ago

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TIL Saladin (of crusader-era fame) ordered an elaborate pulpit to be installed in the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Jerusalem) during the 12th century. Over 900 years later, it was destroyed in an arson attack by an Australian man who then spent 5 years in an Israeli mental institution before being deported.

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0d0Ap Today I learned about the original "Waka Waka" song
ANgkn TIL Darwin suffered a curious denial about his mother’s death, once writing in a condolence letter “never in my life having lost one near relation” and during a Scrabble-like game, when another player added ‘M’ to ‘OTHER’, he stared long at the board then cried: ‘There's no such word as M-OTHER!’.
Oa6Y TIL 3 pacifists (all over age of 57) breached the defenses of a site that houses 100 tons of nuclear material, to paint antiwar slogans on buildings. The lapse in security at what is “supposed to be one of the world’s most secure facilities” was described by Steven Chu as “deeply troubling.”
MeyRW TIL about a book 'It Cant Happen Here' (1935). It's about "a demagogue who is elected President of the United States after fomenting fear and promising drastic economic and social reforms while promoting a return to patriotism and "traditional" values." A civil war breaks out as a result.
4Xwm6 TIL That Irish-Americans account for almost 2 out every 3 US Medals of Honor awarded, and if the country of Ireland was compared to US states, it would come third to only Texas and California for the total number of MoH awarded.