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TIL that one of the most famous actresses of the silent film era in the US was Alla Nazimova, originally from Russia. She had romantic affairs with a number of other actresses and coined the use of the phrase “sewing circle” to refer to closeted lesbian or bisexual actresses of her day.

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1aYP TIL a feral child abandoned by her parents at the age of 3, was raised by dogs until the age of 8, acquired extremely acute senses of hearing, smell, and sight.
wLbK6 TIL due to his fascination with James Bond novels CIA boss Allen Dulles made the CIA attempt to make some of the Bond gadgets in real life. While the poison-tipped shoes reportedly did work in real life, many other gadgets failed to do their job.
nePPb TIL that the Titanic was a part of 3 large ships called Olympic Class by a company called White Star, looking forward to compete with what at the moment we’re the largest vessels in the world. 2 out of the 3 sunk in less than 1 year (with the Titanic as everyone knows, sinking in the first travel)
rNa1y TIL the Los Angeles Country Club, estimated land value of 8 billion dollars and the second most valuable non-residential real estate behind Central Park, is hosting the US Open this week for the first time
Z8jyB TIL about Cat Burning, a form of entertainment in medieval Europe. It involved such "amusement" ranging from putting cats in a bag and throwing them into a bonfire to setting them ablaze and chasing them through the streets.