› added 7 years ago

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TIL that a “white elephant gift exchange” takes its name from the legend of the King of Siam gifting rare albino elephants to those who displeased him because the upkeep costs would financially ruin them.

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ZpgNR TIL that the Roman emperor Vespasian did not in fact issue a tax on urinating in public latrines but instead on the distribution of urine collected from Rome's public urinals
QNJvk TIL that the US military developed nuclear warheads meant to destroy other incoming nuclear warheads. The small 150 lbs warhead would send a neutron flux that would disable any other incoming warhead. Essentially, they would nuke their airspace to prevent another explosion a thousand times larger.
gAkL TIL During the 1650s, over 100,000 Irish children between the ages of 10 and 14 were taken from their parents and sold as slaves in the West Indies, Virginia and New England.
WNO4 TIL that Senegalese Peacekeeper, Captain Mbaye Diagne, disobeyed the UN mandate and personally saved “as many as 600” Rwandans during the genocide. He was killed by a mortar shell a month before the genocide ended.
b91o7 TIL after watching 35 seasons, my wife pointed out that Survivor host Jeff Probst says ”come on in guys” before challenges, and not ”good morning guys”. I still can’t unhear it.