› added 11 years ago

204

TIL that Chinese courts have a 99.99% conviction rate (measured in 2009)

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kdjW TIL that the two spellings of blond(e) are actually gender variants, and that it is one of the few English adjectives to retain a masculine and feminine form.
krGd TIL in 1979 a British artist published a book containing riddles and puzzles about the location where he had buried an 18kt gold filigree and jeweled pendant, setting off a worldwide treasure hunt which lasted over two years, and ended in scandal.
e5rk TIL that during WWI, Harry Houdini threw himself into the war effort, selling war bonds and teaching American soldiers how to free themselves from German handcuffs.
RwPj TIL a homeless man lived for three years in the spaces between the girders of a drawbridge, complete with working TV and Playstation, holding on to the beams every time the bridge raised and lowered to keep from falling.
wLRE8 TIL Madame Tussaud (of the famous wax museums) got her start casting guillotined heads during the French Revolution.