› added 7 years ago

98

TIL when the first time a mile was run in under four minutes, the announcer was drowned out by the roar of the crowd when he said "The time was three..."

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LQyRZ TIL H.H. Holmes, a 19th-century serial killer, built the "Murder Castle" in Chicago during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The hotel had soundproof rooms and hidden passages, allowing Holmes to lure and brutally murder unsuspecting guests, primarily young women.
YplKZ TIL if you were a botanist who wanted to publish about a new plant, you had to write the diagnosis (its distinguishing characteristics) in LATIN. This requirement was only repealed in 2011.
gMrNy TIL that the traffic on the Arc de Triomphe roundabout in Paris is so chaotic, insurance companies will always split the liability of an accident 50/50.
x6vJo TIL of the Holy Prepuce, a series of relics claiming to be Jesus's foreskin. At certain points in history, as many as 18 different supposed holy foreskins existed
nekyb TIL Audi had to use more durable horns in Indian-market cars, as their normal horns would have been unable to cope with the amount of honking Indian drivers do.