› added 11 months ago

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TIL that Ivan VI of Russia, who ascended the throne at the age of two months, was overthrown by his cousin Elizabeth Petrovna a year into his reign. He spent the next 20 of his life secretly imprisoned without the guards knowing his true identity, before being killed in an attempted rescue.

xVV1B TIL of a ship known as the Mary Celeste, which was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic. The last log entry was 10 days before her discovery and when another ship happened upon her, all of the provisions and belongings of the crew were perfectly intact, but the crew were all missing
KY9ZR TIL there are 78,000 people in the "Unorganized Borough" of Alaska, which has an area of 323,440 sq mi (still larger than Texas the second biggest state). This is equivalent in population to Chelan County, Washington, or one-twentieth of Manhattan, less than one square mile.
M7AG8 TIL Ray Chapman is the only baseball player to die directly from an injury received during a game. He was hit in the head by a pitch and died 12 hours later.
nW6Yb TIL Actor Lionel Royce, dismissed in Nazi Germany for being Jewish, retreated to the Alps, grew a beard, and dyed his hair with hydrogen peroxide. he returned to stage as a "self-thought peasant actor" and was praised by the Nazi as proof of Aryan superiority
vldL TIL that anyone can take huge container ships around the world as passengers for about $120 a day. Trips may last just a few days, although some travelers sign on for 60 days or even around-the-world journeys. Meals are provided, rooms are cleaned once a week and passengers do their own laundry.