› added 3 months ago

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TIL that chainsaws were originally invented to help with childbirth.

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via reddit.com

oRNao TIL On Shrove Tuesday 1229 some University of Paris students got into fight over a bar tab and attacked a tavern. The students had benefit of clergy but the city guard killed some of them. The students responded with strike for two years until the school was given independence from local authority.
abOJ TIL that the last Tasmanian tiger is believed to have died as the result of neglect—locked out of its sheltered sleeping quarters, it was exposed to a rare occurrence of extreme Tasmanian weather: extreme heat during the day and freezing temperatures at night.
KYJBw TIL that the "Gold Leaf," used in art decoration and also food, is made from gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets. The process of creating gold leaf dates back to ancient Egypt, and it is used to add a luxurious finish to artworks, frames, and even food.
XEMaX TIL Kaiser Wilhelm once spanked Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, his cousin, while the Tsar was looking out a window. Because Wilhelm refused to apologize, the Tsar awarded a major arms contract to France instead of Germany.
epxZk TIL of the 172-year old Botafumeiro, a giant incense spreader (AKA a "thurible") that is swung from the ceiling of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral in Spain at speeds of about 68 km/h, reaching 21 meters from the ground at the height of its 65-meter arc