› added 1 year ago

164

TIL Elytra, AKA the hard casing of beetle wings, were used in Mughal India and then later on in Victorian England to adorn clothing, like an early form of sequins.

Read more fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu

via reddit.com

KvMJ TIL that you DON’T have a right to a public defender unless you prove to the court that you are dirt poor. They will force you to sell your stuff to pay for a lawyer before they will appoint you one.
WkpBo TIL Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gifted US President John F Kennedy a dog called Pushinka during the cold war. She later on had puppies; which Kennedy referred to as "the pupniks".
yVAmX TIL in WWI the Secret Service discovered that semen was found to be useful as invisible ink with the motto "Every man his own stylo." It was eventually discontinued because of the smell.
kgXd TIL Bruce Dern is one of the few actors to have killed John Wayne on screen (The Cowboys.) He received some death threats from loyal fans, soon after.
N7vwJ TIL Bath Abbey church in England had up to an estimated 6,000 people buried under it which caused voids to form and put the church floors in danger of collapse. A church rep said "they just jammed them in and jammed them in — it would have been very unpleasant to put it mildly."