› added 5 years ago

122

TIL when King George V was near death in 1936, his doctor injected him with, "750mg of morphine and a gram of cocaine – enough to kill him twice over – in order to ease [his] suffering, and to have him expire in time for the printing presses of the Times, which rolled at midnight."

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

rR7WM TIL of the Antarctic Snow Cruiser, a 55 foot, 37 ton vehicle used in a 1939 Antarctic expedition. Its smooth tires were ill suited for the deep snow but the crew discovered that traction was increased by driving in reverse. They proceeded to complete a 92 mile trek, completely in reverse.
wLjy7 TIL In the Chinese stock market red means up and green means down because red is a lucky color in Chinese culture
GBM5 TIL:Ernest Hemingway survived,anthrax,pneumonia, dysentery,diabetes,high blood pressure,two successive plane crashes that resulted in ruptured kidney and liver, broken skull, second degree burns, and numerous other accidents, then won the Nobel Prize in Literature and eventually committed suicide.
6gaX TIL that it’s illegal for kids 16 and under in South Korea to play video games past midnight
rNwe1 TIL Richard Nixon is the only President to forgo his life-long secret service protection in order to save the taxpayers money.