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TIL that in 1269, the election of the Pope took so long (3 years) that the city where the conclave was held, Viterbo, refused to send in anything except bread and water. When even this failed to elect a Pope, villagers removed the roof of the palace hosting the cardinals to speed up the election.

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PY9ke TIL of Robert Landsberg, a photographer who died documenting the massive 1980 eruption of Mt St Helens. Realizing he was too close to get away safely, he continued to shoot footage until he was killed. His body was found buried beneath ash, protecting his camera film.
ZwXB TIL that during the Qin Dynasty in China, government officials would use fingerprint analysis at a crime scene to help identify potential perpetrators, as they knew that no two people have identical fingerprints
k5Je TIL a 34-year-old man suffered severe bleeding under the skin after pumping cocaine into his urethra. Complications destroyed his penis, nine fingers, and parts of his legs. The penis fell off by itself. His penis had remained erect for three days
GYlE7 TIL Homosexuality was still classified as an illness in Sweden in 1979. Swedes protested by calling in sick to work, claiming “they felt gay”.
oBX7W TIL Tchaikovsky, famous Russian classical composer, lived a life of tragedy. His mother died while he was in boarding school, his close friend died, his 13-year relationship ended, he had to keep his homosexuality private all his life, and he died a sudden death at 53 years old.