› added 4 years ago

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TIL Paul Cuffe was born the son of a freed black man and a Native American woman who built his own ship, captained a lucrative whaling business, and snuck supplies through British blockades became the richest man in the city of Westport.

kOD14 TIL about the existence of a psychosomatic/hysteria condition called PPS, where it is believed that if a horny dog bites you, you will get pregnant and you will give birth to the puppies from your penis
1aleX TIL: Wild Bill Hickok usually sat with his back to a wall so he could see the entrance of the building he was in. On his last day, when he went to play poker, the only seat available was one facing away from the door. He tried changing seats twice, but couldn’t. He was shot in the back of the head.
p8gWG TIL in 1959 Cornell physicists had speculated that any extraterrestrial civilization attempting to communicate via radio signals might do so using a frequency of 1420 mHz which is naturally emitted by hydrogen. 18 years later that exact transmission was read in Ohio, nicknamed the "Wow! signal".
rZVd TIL that the word homophobia was originally used to refer to heterosexual men’s fear that others might think they are gay
1amE8 TIL about "Dear Diary," a 1996 made-for-TV pilot starring Bebe Neuwirth. ABC passed on the show, and it wasn't broadcast. However, it was slightly edited and shown in one L.A. theatre on one weekend to qualify for an Oscar. It won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.