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TIL 19th century Londoners too poor to afford beds would rent boxes to sleep in. Those who couldn't afford the box would instead rent a rope, strung out wall-to-wall, and sleep with their torso hanging over it

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0d7Xj TIL In 2012 San Diego's annual Fourth of July fireworks show had a computer glitch, where fireworks programmed for 17 minutes all went off at once (here is one video, there are lots of others; some spectators mad, others ecstatic)
ADplB TIL of Marcus Crassus the creator of the first Roman fire brigade, employing 500 slaves. At the first cry of help, they would stand while Crassus offered to buy the building for cheap. If refused, he let it burn and simply rebuilt it with slave labour. He is often called "The richest man in Rome".
QJA5d TIL that during World War II, the US Navy’s Third Fleet and Fifth Fleet were largely composed of the same ships. The change in Fleet numbers was used to designate which Admiral was in command at the time ( Halsey or Spruance) and to make the Japanese think there were twice as many ships.
KOLdG TIL those floaty things in your eye that disappears whenever you try to get a closer look, only to reappear as soon as you shift your glance are called Muscae volitantes, Latin for "flying flies”
yQvOv TIL there is a 1420 book that was found to have cat piss on one of its pages. The author of the manuscript even wrote on the page "Cursed be the pesty cat that urinated over this book during the night in Deventer... and beware well not to leave open books at night where cats can come."