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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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Br6Ar TIL of the Regent's Park Skating Disaster, when on January 16, 1867, hundreds of skaters fell through the ice in Regent's Park in London, resulting in the deaths of 41 people.
VBOwp TIL Diatomaceous earth is made from the fossilized remains of tiny, aquatic organisms called diatoms. It is used in pest control to kill insects like bedbugs by absorbing the oils and fats from the insect's exoskeleton
oB44R TIL Australia has the highest cigarette tax rates in the world, with a 12.5% yearly excise being applied since 2010. This will continue until 2020, when the average packet of cigarettes is projected cost about AU$40 (USD$30). This compares to about $6-8 in the US and the EU.
R7Zwa TIL when The Kinks were being formed, Rod Stewart was briefly considered as the group's singer, being a schoolmate of three of their members.
xVY45 TIL that the U.S. Department of Defense spends over $84 million a year on Viagra (and other erectile dysfunction medications).