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TIL the Hammersmith Ghost Murder saw a 19th century ghost prank go badly wrong and spark off a public panic that culminated in a fatal shooting. This resulted in a murder trial that set a precedent for English criminal law- that acting on a mistaken belief can be a valid defence

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VJWB TIL- Senator Ron Wyden released a report in 2001 that showed the oil and gas industry were colluding to manipulate refinery production in an effort to increases gas prices and profits.
oPxY TIL The word “electrocute” is a combination of the words electro and execute, meaning you were killed by electricity. So if you don’t die, you were not electrocuted, you were shocked.
VBAwD TIL the British colonial regime in India criminalised entire communities under the 'Criminal Tribes Act'. The law subjected millions to arrest, resettlement and hard labour, often based on their nomadic or impoverished background.
O8AY TIL Doctor Seuss’s first book took 27 publisher rejections before it finally found a taker, Chicken Soup for the Soul was passed on by over 100, A Time to Kill by 26, and George Orwell was told Animal Farm would never sell because “it is impossible to sell animal stories in the U.S.”
WkarX TIL hypnosis can be used as an alternative to general anesthesia in some surgeries (local anesthesia is still used). The practice of hypnosis during surgery to reduce pain has been around for centuries, and more than 34 clinical trials and numerous published papers have shown hypnosedation works.