› added 10 years ago

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TIL that Timothy Dexter the 18th century American businessman, writer, and noted eccentric, faked his own death to see how people would react. About 3,000 people attended Dexter’s mock wake. Dexter did not see his wife cry, and after he revealed the hoax, he caned her for not grieving enough.

6y9W TIL a 2007 study found that men are more likely than women to believe “women should have the right to breastfeed in public places,” “it is appropriate to show a woman breastfeeding her baby on TV programs,” and “breastfeeding education should be available as part of a high school health education.”
R1W9 TIL Neil Armstrong’s astronaut application form arrived a week past the deadline. His friend Dick Day saw the late arrival of the application and slipped it into the pile before anyone noticed.
pYxdN TIL that the Super Mario Bros. team initially found it illogical that Mario was hurt by stomping on turtles, leading them to design future games where Mario could safely jump on them. Also, Bowser was originally envisioned as an ox, but was redesigned as a turtle after Osamu Tezuka's suggestion.
RNKw TIL the Swiss Guard, known now as the guys in the silly costumes that stand around the Vatican holding halberds, once stood against an army as it sacked Rome. 189 Guard stood against 20,000 invaders at the Vatican long enough for Pope Clement VII to escape the city.
W7Z5B TIL Mansfield Smith-Cumming, inspiration for James Bond's "M," was involved in discovering cum worked as an invisible ink during WW1. Agents adopted the motto "Every man his own stylo". However, the use of semen as invisible ink was ceased because of the smell it produced for the eventual receiver.