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TIL Elvis Presley wore a cross, a star of David and the Hebrew letter chai because he didn't want to "miss out on heaven due to a technicality."

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

kJvXg TIL: In 1982, Rodney Mullen became the first person to use a skateboard to perform an ollie on flat ground. An ollie is simply where the skateboard and the skateboarder leap into the air simultaneously.
6E6W TIL that according to Bart Ehrman, Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at UNC Chapel Hill, at least 11 of the 27 books in the New Testament are forgeries- many of which were written by “early Christian leaders trying to settle theological feuds.”
awYbZ TIL of the 'raising of Chicago'. In the mid-1850s Chicago buildings were raised multiple feet to improve drainage and reduce disease outbreaks
KO5VB TIL about the 'Portrait of Dr. Gachet', the last portrait painted by Vincent Van Gogh before his death, which was sold for the then record sum of 82.5 million USD in 1990. It is one of Van Gogh’s most important works, but has been withheld from the public by its anonymous owner for almost 30 years.
awvgM TIL that the longest ship ever built, the Seawise Giant, is longer than the Empire State Building is tall. The ship could reach up to 20 mph and it took 5.5 miles to stop from that speed and the ship had a 2 mile turning circle.