› added 3 years ago

95

TIL Danish Astronomer Tycho Brahe lost the bridge of his nose in a duel over a mathematical formula.

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b9E9 TIL at serial killer Carl Panzram’s execution, when asked if he had any last words, he said, “Yes, hurry it up, you Hoosier bastard! I could kill ten men while you’re fooling around!”
nW6Er TIL The 1896 Ford Quadricycle was Henry Ford's first attempt to build a gasoline-powered automobile and he tried to make it as simple as possible. He sold his Quadricycle for $200 in order to build his second car but bought the car back for $65 in 1904 after his company became successful
0dmn5 TIL a “Made Man” is a fully initiated member of the Mafia and must be Italian and sponsored by another Made Man. The ceremony involves pricking the trigger finger and bleeding onto a burning picture of a saint while reciting an oath.
4k6e6 TIL that in 1944, the US federal government slapped a heavy 30% tax on all food-serving venues (such as clubs) that featured dancing, leading to the downfall of swing music and dancing in America. It would not be repealed until the 1960s (though it was reduced a few years after implementation).
NX0gP TIL John Stith Pemberton was a Confederate officer who became addicted to morphine after receiving a saber wound. Pemberton made a series of concoctions attempting to cure his addiction. Pemberton's experiments with coca and kola resulted in Pemberton's French Wine Coca and later Coca-Cola.