› added 7 years ago

203

TIL that George Washington originally declined a presidential salary however he ultimately accepted the payment to avoid setting a precedent whereby the presidency would be perceived as limited only to independently wealthy individuals who could serve without any salary.

QJ7kk TIL of an 18th century racehorse named Potoooooooo, originally named Potato by his owner. A stable boy was instructed to write the horses' name on a feed bin, which he spelled Potoooooooo (Pot-8-Os). The owner was so amused that he adopted the spelling. Potoooooooo amassed 34 wins over 7 years.
x6V8o TIL Abraham Lincoln was a dual citizen of the United States and the tiny country of San Marino. He accepted honorary Sammarinese citizenship after recognizing them as a nation, saying “Although your dominion is small, your State is nevertheless one of the most honored, in all history."
gygL TIL of Helmuth Hübener, the youngest opponent of the Nazis to be sentenced to death. Upon receiving his sentence, he told the judges “Now I must die, even though I have committed no crime. So now it’s my turn, but your turn will come.”
KYQeB TIL when Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson was a teen, he dreamt of having a Gibson guitar. He would go to his nearest music store in Toronto, play Gibson guitars for about an hour before he’d get kicked out, and then he would come back to that store every weekend and repeat the whole process again.
7N6P TIL Hebrew essentially died between 200 and 400 CE, and was revived in 19th century Germany, now having about 9 million speakers