› added 3 weeks ago

5

TIL that Samuel "Sam" Houston, the 1st and 3rd President of the Republic of Texas who served as Governor of both Tennessee and Texas, and for whom the city of Houston in Texas is named, was descended from the Houston baronets and Clan Houston in Scotland. He was also a member of the Cherokee Tribe.

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9ZZQ TIL there is a pastor in South Korea named Jong-rak who created a baby box that he attached to the side of his house to collect mentally handicapped or unwanted babies to prevent them from being abandoned on the side of the road and left to die.
E16Md TIL Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences couldn't legally attend college, so she did it illegally, going to what was known as the 'Flying University', a secret organization.
vPdw7 TIL: The Dutch version of Santa, Sinterklaas, instead of having elves he had Zwarte Piet, or "Black Pete", originally depicted as an enslaved demon, he helped distribute candy, take naughty children to Spain in burlap sacks, and deliver coal. In 2020, however, Zwarte Pete was gradually removed.
yQ5lV TIL that according to John Lennon, the ticket mentioned in the 1965 Beatles hit “Ticket to Ride” refers not to an actual ticket for travel, but refers to cards carried by prostitutes in 1960s Hamburg to indicate a clean bill of health.
9wQj7 TIL That in case of emergency in a railroad crossing, instead of dialing 911, we should first look out for a blue and white sign that has a phone number that will get you in touch with the railroad dispatcher, who can radio the engineers of nearby trains to immediately stop short of that crossing.