› added 13 years ago

135

TIL the Vatican bank frequently launders Mafia gun and heroin money…

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ep4w4 TIL that Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in Space, was so inspired by Nichelle Nichols' portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura on Stark Trek that she began every shift of her 1992 Shuttle mission by radioing "Hailing Frequencies Open" as a tribute to the actress and her character.
4kJgR TIL In 1338, Scottish countess Agnes of Dunbar led the successful defense of Dunbar Castle during a 5-month siege by a much larger English army. At one point, they threatened to kill her captured brother if she didn't surrender. She replied that his death would only benefit her as she was his heir.
LQDNv TIL there was an olympic wrestling gold medal match that lasted for more than 9 hours, in the 1912 light heavyweight division. Since the fight was declared a draw and the gold medalist was required to have defeated his opponent, no gold medals were awarded and both finalists received silver instead.
pYBvQ TIL that Jean-Bédel Bokassa declared himself emperor of Central Africa with a ludicrous coronation ceremony in 1977 that cost nearly $20M ($90M today), almost bankrupting the country
wLE78 TIL that in 1970, the state commission in Mississippi voted to not air Sesame Street because of its “highly [racially] integrated cast of children” which “the commission members felt ... Mississippi was not yet ready for”.