› added 1 year ago

39

TIL that yet another Christmas tradition, the burning of the Yule log for good luck, predates European Christianity and has its roots in paganism. Yule log burning is rooted in Germanic or Scandinavian paganism and associated with winter solstice rituals

Read more sttammanylibrary.org

via reddit.com

OolpY TIL in September 1939, at the onset of World War II. The Night Watch was detached from its frame and rolled around a cylinder. The rolled painting was stored for four years in a special safe that was built to protect many works of art in the caves of Maastricht, Netherlands.
OGoEY TIL since our evolution into modern Homo sapiens 200,000 years ago, there has been about 117 billion members of our species have ever been born on Earth, while you're one of 7.9 billion that exist today.
9977 TIL that Roald Dahl changed the Oompa-Loompas from black-skinned pygmies to dwarves with “rosy-white” skin after allegations of racism.
ZpZdR TIL that defunct airline Pan Am accepted reservation requests from 93,000 people for commercial spaceflights to the moon, which were expected to start departing in the year 2000.
Rwk6 TIL The Battle of Cannae is considered one of the worst single defeats in Western Military history. Rome lost 50,000 troops, 80 Senators and a Consul in a single day to the forces of Carthage.