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1144

TIL Mary Ellen Pleasant, a black woman, pretended to be white, listen to white men of finace's gossip, using the knowledge to earn a $30 million fortune. After the civil war, she let everybody know she was black.

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49YR TIL the term “limelight” originated because when heated to 2,400 °C, calcium oxide (quicklime) emits a strong glow. Before electricity this was how theaters lit the stage.
JQ6l TIL that an Oxford University study has found that for every person you fall in love with and accommodate into your life you lose two close friends.
R76Vj TIL The airline industry has its own currency (NUC) to simplify the exchange of money between airlines
ZJa4 TIL ten of the last eleven Summer Olympics have caused an economic downturn in the host country. The exception: Atlanta.
R5d5j TIL Jute twine, used in gardening and packaging, is still manufactured in Czechia today