› added 1 year ago

52

TIL of Locusta, a notorious ancient Roman serial killer and poisoner who lived during the 1st century AD. Renowned for her expertise in toxic substances, Locusta gained infamy by providing poisons to prominent figures, including Roman emperors. She was eventually executed by Emperor Nero.

PYvnE TIL a depressed man built a secret room within his bedroom containing a homemade guillotine with a timer, took sleeping pills, and set the timer to kill himself without his father knowing what he was doing for months. He was successful.
P15kL TIL The last words of serial killer Peter Kürten were "Tell me... after my head is chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck? That would be the pleasure to end all pleasures."
BraRy TIL in 2016, Capt Bertrand Piccard was the first person to fly around the world in a plane powered entirely by the sun; 25k miles w/o a drop of fuel. His great uncle, Jean Felix Piccard, was a high-altitude balloonist and inspired Gene Roddenberry to create the STNG character Capt Jean-Luc Picard.
W7gZo TIL that "The Birth of a Nation," a 1915 silent film, became the highest grossing film for twenty-five years and revolutionized the film industry with its technical effects and first-time use of a musical score.
QXg6 TIL the Grateful Dead provided funding for the Lithuanian national basketball team for the 1992 Olympics since the squad could not afford to participate. They wore tie-died jerseys during games and donned full Dead regalia during the medal ceremony for winning 3rd place.