› added 9 years ago

222

TIL In 1838, Edgar Allen Poe wrote a novel about a shipwreck where three survivors ate the fourth survivor, a cabin boy named Richard Parker. In 1884, there was a real shipwreck, in which three survivors ate the fourth survivor, a cabin boy named Richard Parker.

Read more mandatory.com

via reddit.com

R7ZY1 TIL the USSR tried to blackmail a gay US journalist with photos of him having sex with a Soviet spy, but he refused to cooperate and reported the incident to the CIA. When the Soviets sent the photos to prominent journalists, they all refused to out him.
16wpW TIL of Siren Kings, a youth subculture where crews try to build the loudest and clearest sound system. The "sirens" are a mix of battery-powered loudspeakers and public address systems fixed to cars or bikes. Celine Dion's music is often used in Siren battles as they must showcase treble over bass.
WkwX TIL that in 2005 the Georgian President fired the entire traffic police force in an attempt to reduce corruption (xpost; original post did not gain visibility).
VBlop TIL that the “White Lighters are bad luck” myth stems from several musicians dying unexpectedly with white lighters in their possession.
X0oPj TIL though the poem is frequently seen as a grand expression of individualism, the poem The Road Not Taken was written ironically, a reference to his friend Edward Thomas who had issues choosing a path on walks with him and often regretted his decisions.