› added 7 years ago

60

TIL that the Mandate of Heaven, which legitimized the rule of Chinese Emperors, differed from the Divine Right of Kings in that natural disasters and revolts were seen as a sign from Heaven that the Emperor had lost the mandate and therefore deserved to be overthrown.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

X4gE TIL that phrases that use two synonyms to say the same thing (e.g. “will and testament”) are called “legal doublets,” and they exist because during Medieval times, English speakers spoke both French and Latin, but not typically both, and lawyers wanted to avoid ambiguity.
7raAP TIL former Mafia hitman Frank Sheeran confessed on his deathbed that he was the one who murdered union leader Jimmy Hoffa, his close friend, under orders from the mob. Martin Scorsese is currently filming a movie on this.
4X4yo TIL that you have to have a net worth of $8.4 million to be considered the top 1% of your fellow Americans
QJa7E TIL It's Brussels Sprouts not Brussel Sprouts
lor6V TIL The Beatles were all still in their 20s when they broke up. George Harrison was 26, Paul McCartney was 27, John Lennon was 28, and Ringo Starr was 29.