› added 2 years ago

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TIL about the Great "Shawinigan Handshake" Incident of '96 in Canada, when Prime Minister Jean Chretien reacted rapidly, grabbing a protestor by the neck--who had just jumped out aggressively to block Chretien's path--forcing the protestor to the ground instantly with a broken tooth.

xr50 TIL when a drone bee mates with the queen, his orgasm is so powerful it causes his genitals to explode, killing the male and leaving his penis inside the queen. The explosion is so powerful, it’s audible to human ears.
9wNvQ TIL there is a partially underwater prison near the capital of Estonia that is a popular diving spot. The lake under which it is submerged was the quarry where the prisoners worked when the prison was operational. When it was abandoned the groundwater submerged it.
kop4 TIL That evolution is causing Polar bears and Grizzly bears to mate, creating a Grolar Bear which have carnivorous polar bear behaviors in bodies that are adaptable for warmer climates.
pYRyQ TIL about James Clark McReynolds, who served as a Supreme Court justice from 1914 until 1941. He would not accept "Jews, drinkers, blacks, women, smokers, married or engaged individuals" as law clerks, did not speak to Justice Louis Brandeis for three years, and was nicknamed "Scrooge."
9Y5b7 TIL that Benjamin Franklin used chess as a means of learning Italian. He would play games with a friend who was also studying the language. The winner of their match assigned a task to the loser; such as making them learn some Italian grammar, which had to be performed before their next match.