› added 8 years ago

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TIL In 1833, Britain used 40% of its national budget to buy freedom for all slaves in the Empire.

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gAeL TIL an Athenian law-maker was smothered to death by gifts of cloaks and hats showered upon him by appreciative citizens at a theatre.
meeO TIL a 4 year old boy ran away from home and become the lead of a wolf pack after he provided them with food. He lived with the wolves for 2 years, was caught by police, and later served in the Russian Army.
ep6db TIL the Portuguese-Spanish border has its own name, "The Stripe".
nWxa7 TIL the Northern Short-Tailed Shrew is one of the few venomous mammals and actively hunts for prey. It regularly consumes up to 3x it's body weight each day. While known to eat seeds and fungi, it prefers invertebrates and vertebrates.
4km5N TIL Anna Jarvis started a petition to abolish Mother's Day in 1943. However, these efforts were halted when she was placed in the Marshall Square Sanitarium in West Chester, Pennsylvania. People connected with the floral and greeting card industries paid the bills to keep her in the sanitarium.