› added 11 years ago

100

TIL Before the Queen leaves Buckingham Palace to deliver her speech at the Opening of Parliament, a member of the House of Commons is ceremonially held hostage at the palace. This was started to ensure the safe return of the monarch from a possibly hostile Parliament.

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VBRPp TIL in 2019 Namibia mandated white-owned businesses to sell a 25 percent stake to blacks. The rating agency Fitch downgraded Namibia's economic outlook from stable to negative, saying the policy would scare away investors unwilling to cede stakes in their companies.
xGaB TIL George Washington was the wealthiest US President, with $525 million (adjusted for inflation). His salary was 2% of the total US budget in 1789, and he owned over 50,000 acres of land.
x6jmb TIL that in 2003, metal singer Ronnie James Dio severed his thumb during a gardening accident when a heavy garden gnome fell onto it. Dio was concerned he would no longer be able to do his signature "devil's horns” hand gesture, but a doctor managed to re-attach it.
WK1o TIL Tardigrades are tiny creatures that are capable of removing the majority of their body water, allowing them to survive in extreme conditions; atmospheric pressures of up to 600 times that of the surface of the earth, 300 degrees below zero and even the vacuum and radiation in space.
6E987 TIL A man walked into a publisher's office with 14 pictures and a title to go along with each picture. He said he would come back with the full stories, but never showed up. The pictures have captivated writer's for years.