› added 3 years ago

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TIL the Khlysty, a Russian Christian sect, would engage at the end of their services in "group sinning" (a frenzied sexual orgy), to purify themselves from the lusts of the flesh. They believed that salvation required total repentance, which was far more achievable for one who had truly transgressed

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JYOYv TIL Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huangdi died eating mercury pills that were supposed to prolong his life. Afraid that news of his death would cause a revolt, his trusted advisors transported his body back to his palace among barrels of rotten fish, to mask the smell.
BrAeW TIL of the Northern Fusiliers - a professional hockey team made up of soldiers from the Toronto 228th Battalion. Among the highest scoring and most popular teams in the league, they withdrew in the first few months of the season after they were deployed to Europe during WWI
XEK1X TIL about Josef "Joybubbles" Engressia, a blind 7 year old who discovered that whistling the fourth E above middle C (a frequency of 2600 Hz) would interfere with AT&T's automated telephone systems and activate phone switches.
YQvB TIL Dissociative Identity Disorder (or split personalities) can be so extreme that one personality can show severe allergic to a substance and the other one will not show any reaction at all.
b96XQ TIL that the British Lawn Mower Racing Association’s motto is “per herbam ad astra” which translates to “from grass to the stars”