› added 8 months ago

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TIL that the earliest version of the Pied Piper story makes no mention of rats - only that, on 26 June 1284, a piper led 130 children out of Hamelin, never to return. Music and dancing remain banned on Bungelosenstrasse, the “street without drums” where they were last seen.

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BrQDe TIL a town bully was killed in Skidmore & 40+ people witnesses it but claimed they saw nothing. “ I can’t think of anyone who’d seen it (the shooting) feel any different than you would about the people who invented penicillin. Nobody tried to hang them for finding a way to kill a germ,” said one.
KOp6E TIL: In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered the mould he was working with produced a substance that could kill many common bacteria. He called this new, exciting substance "mould juice". Only after a couple of months did he name it penicillin.
XEoZQ TIL in 2013, Coca-Cola cancelled a promotion that paired randomly generated English and French words inside their caps until a lady received one that said "You Retard"
Br7Gb TIL About Draco, an Athenian lawyer who gave the city its first written code. The word Draconian originated from his name as his laws were so brutal. According to legend, he died due to his popularity; after giving a speech at a theatre, he was smothered when the audience threw their cloaks at him.
4X5xX TIL that a 70-year-old WW2 veteran stole a Soviet T-34-85 tank during a protest in Hungary, and drove it toward riot police to stop them from shooting rubber bullets into the crowd. He was later arrested, but released without charges. [video]