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TIL New York City is actually rainier than London

Read more uk.businessinsider.com

via ift.tt

kJkn1 TIL new Enfield Pattern 1853 rifle in army sparked the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Sepoys had to bite cartridge open to release the powder. The grease used on cartridges was rumored to include tallow from beef, which was offensive to Hindus, and lard from pork, which was offensive to Muslims.
6909X TIL Vatican City leads the world in per-capita wine consumption due to its sacramental use
9oYX TIL the phrase “pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” was originally meant to describe an absurdly impossible action. The phrase is an adynation, a figure of speech in the form of hyperbole taken to such extreme lengths as to insinuate a complete impossibility.
oaKK TIL that the pumpkin carving during Halloween comes from an Irish folktale where a smith called Jack sold his soul to the devil for a beer.
wLY48 TIL The oldest-known message in a bottle was tossed overboard from a German ship in 1886 and found off the coast of Wedge Island, Australia earlier this year.