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TIL Robert-François Damiens, after trying to assassinate the king, was sentenced to be executed by having his skin ripped with pliers, molten lead and sulfur being poured onto his ripped skin, then dismemberment by four horses. At hearing this, Damiens replied: “Well, it's going to be a tough day.”

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7Nkx TIL Teller from Penn & Teller has legally changed his name to just “Teller”.
mZo TIL there is a dog suicide bridge in Scotland
6EQMX TIL Solomon Northup, a free African American living in New York in the 1800s, was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the south. As a slave, he had no way to testify his case. He remained a slave for 12 years before finally being freed. He then wrote a memoir "Twelve Years A Slave".
X0ZmQ TIL since ancient Latin lacked the letters J and U, Julius Caesar's name would have actually been either “GAIVS IVLIVS CAESAR” or “GAIVS IVLIVS CAIVS.” The standard abbreviation was “C. IVLIVS CÆSAR,” reflecting the older spelling.
VMBpG TIL the average age of an S&P 500 company is under 20 years, down from 60 years in the 1950s.