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TIL Cleopatra once boasted to Mark Antony that she could spend ten million sesterces on one dinner. During dessert, Cleopatra called for a goblet of vinegar. She removed a valubale pearl earring and dropped it in. The priceless jewel dissolved, and then Cleopatra drank the mixture.

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QRka TIL the Marii-El Republic in Russia is the homeland of the Mari people, many of whom still follow their polytheistic indigenous religion. Possibly the only unbroken spiritual lineage to survive Christianisation in Europe. The Mari native religion comprehends tree worship and animal sacrifices
rRWAo TIL King of Bohemia Charles IV, who commissioned the construction of Prague's Charles Bridge in the 14th century, was rumored to have ordered that egg yolks be added to enrich the mortar and strength the bridge's structure. Scientific evidence indeed found the presence of egg proteins in the mortar.
Rjn6 TIL of the Spiral of silence, where people are less likely to voice an unpopular opinion because of fears of being isolated from society, leading to popular opinion being dominate.
epdWJ TIL getting gasoline in your eyes isn't really any worse than getting pool water in your eyes.
1ae88 TIL that in Europe in the 1700s, high heeled shoes were seen as a sign of upper-class status, and their length was regulated by authorities - ½ inch for commoners, 1 inch for the bourgeois, 1 and ½ inches for knights, 2 inches for nobles, and 2 and ½ inches for princes