› added 10 years ago

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TIL as a 23 year old, Bear Grylls became one of the youngest Britons to climb Mt. Everest – 18 months after breaking three vertebrae in a parachuting accident.

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oyV8 TIL: Reed Hastings started Netflix out of frustration over a $40.00 late charge from Blockbuster for Apollo 13.
b9gWE TIL that when handling old books and rare manuscripts it’s actually better to just have really clean and dry hands rather than wearing gloves or other protective material.
8rv4 TIL Comanche Indians would torture captured settlers by cutting off their genitals, stuffing them in their mouths, sewing their lips together, then staking them over a nest of red ants until dead - Comanche women often orchestrated the torture.
gkM8 TIL Lord Timothy Dexter, late 1700s American businessman, faked his own death, but after attending his own funeral and not seeing his wife cry, revealed himself and caned her for not grieving hard enough
Rxpa TIL Actress Brittany Murphy and her widower both passed away of pneumonia and severe anemia in their home nearly 5 months apart. Murphy’s mom believes both her daughter and son-in-law were victims of toxic mold.