› added 12 years ago

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TIL up until 1910, the Brazilian Navy routinely lashed black crewmen aboard their ships. After a crewman received 250 lashes, crews aboard 4 warships mutinied and threatened to shell Rio de Janeiro. Although Brazil did not honor promised amnesty for the mutineers, the lash was never used again.

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WwdA TIL in 1795, as Joseph Haydn conducted the premiere of his 102nd symphony, the audience pressed forward out of their seats to get closer to the famous composer. Moments later, a chandelier crashed to the floor where the seats had emptied, killing no one and giving this piece the name “The Miracle”.
nel7P TIL that when the German army broke through French lines in 1918, a small battalion of US marines disregarded general orders to retreat and dug shallow holes with their bayonets. The German advance was stopped after six days of fierce fighting, and the marines had been given a new name-- Devil Dogs.
kOodd TIL There are 5 temples in Kyoto, Japan that have blood stained ceilings. The ceilings are made from the floorboards of a castle where warriors killed themselves after a long hold-off against an army. To this day, you can still see the bloody outlines and footprints.
P1lkV TIL of Aaron Mitchell, a man who tried to kill himself by running into a large fire at Burning Man in 2017. He was pulled from the fire and died several days later.
kQ41 TIL Battle of Pelusium (525 BC) Persian soldiers used cats as shields as Egyptian religion forbade harm towards cats.