› added 9 years ago

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TIL in 1809, a woman diagnosed with an ovarian tumor rode 60 miles on horseback to see a surgeon who was willing to extract it. It had never been done before out of fear it would kill the patient. After the 22.5 pound tumor was removed from her body without anesthesia, she lived another 32 years.

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XyRE TIL that adults who were homeschooled often reference extreme social awkwardness as an obstacle they experienced upon entering college or the workforce. Others note astonishment and even anger towards their parents because they were shielded from scientific learning
aMdL TIL that a lake in Kazakhstan was created using a nuclear weapon and has decayed to the point that people can swim in it
Wkw8A TIL Sales of Lucky Strike cigarettes experienced an increase of 10 billion packets a year after being featured on the television Mad Men, in which it was a major client of Don Draper's advertising agency and his cigarette brand of choice.
grVlD TIL in the 1980s, parents were upset at a Seattle firm about phone bill charges after a half-hour show featuring Santa told children to hold the telephone up to the TV whereupon touch-tone sounds would dial a 1-900 number. A spokesman said this was to prevent children from dialing the wrong number.
VMWG8 TIL: An Indiana Man Woke Up to Becoming a Millionaire By Accident. “It kind of sucks. You go from being a millionaire one second then back to being broke again. But hey, once you’re poor you don’t have anywhere else to go but up.”