› added 11 years ago

175

TIL Samuel Johnson, an Englishman, said regarding the American colonies during the Revolutionary War, “How is it that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes?”

wLNr8 TIL about the phrase "If it's black, fight back. If it's brown, lay down". It tells you how to behave if attacked by a bear. Often "If it's white, say goodnight" is added, regarding the dangerousness of polar bears. Though apparently it depends on the situation, it can be used as a rule of thumb.
Z80dG TIL wheelchair athletes with spinal injuries will sometimes intentionally injure themselves on the lower body (e.g. break a toe), causing their bodies to respond by raising blood pressure and enhancing their performance. This practice has been banned as cheating.
QNgbe TIL on July 14, 1776, Daniel Boone’s 14-year old daughter Jemima and two other teen girls were kidnapped by a Cherokee-Shawnee raiding party. As the girls were being taken they tore off bits of their clothing to provide a trail. They were found 3 days later and safely returned.
DQn7D TIL that the three incredible robots in the classic 1970's science fiction film Silent Running were not robots at all, but were essentially costumes worn by actors who had suffered multiple amputations and could fit in the robot shells and wore them as costumes.
6EMjZ TIL Black Sabbath regularly had speaker boxes full of cocaine delivered to Record Plant in Los Angeles, during the recording of the album Vol 4.