› added 11 months ago

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TIL that 73% of Americans die in debt with an average of $62000 per person.

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78k1Z TIL "Xerxes" is the Greek rendering of the Old Persian "Xšaya-ṛšā," with the modern Persian "Khashayar" still being an occasional Iranian male name
78kvx TIL that contrary to popular belief, the "petrified bodies" from Pompeii are not actually bodies at all; they are actually plaster casts that have been made by filling the empty space left by decomposed remains that deteriorated in the ash. Over 100 casts have been made since 1863
DPVD TIL that in 1440 a land sale treaty between the Pope and Florence accidentally left out a small strip of land around Cospaia. The people of the area promptly declared their independence and remained sovereign for nearly 400 years.
1aD6D TIL that Purple Dye in Ancient Times was made by extracting it from a type of Mediterranean sea snail, which made it hard to get lots of, making it by far the most valuable color dye at the time.
BgL4d TIL a U.S. Air Force officer, John Stapp, survived a deceleration of 46.2 Gs during a rocket sled experiment in 1954, experiencing a rapid stop from 632 mph to 0 in just 1.4 seconds.