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TIL that Salvador Dali made a painting for the prisoners at Rikers Island in NYC that hung in the prisoner dining room for 15 years, when it was moved to the prison lobby for ‘safekeeping’. In 2003, three prison guards and a warden stole the painting.

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1aa5V TIL the name Vanessa was invented by Anglo-Irish writer Jonathan Swift for Esther Vanhomrigh, whom he tutored. The name was created by taking "Van" from Vanhomrigh and "Essa" from a pet form of Esther.
bWb9 TIL many years after Octavian agreed to Cicero’s name being placed on the proscription list, Octavian found his grandson reading a book by Cicero, he took it from him, read a bit of it, and then returned it saying: “He was a learned man, dear child, a learned man who loved his country”.
kORy7 TIL The most push ups in one hour is 3,877. The most one-arm push-ups is 1,025. The most consecutive one finger push-ups is 124.
Xyyr TIL that Larry Swearingen is on death row in Texas despite substantial evidence that he was in jail on traffic charges at the time of the crime.
O90e TIL in 1868, samurai killed 11 French sailors. Over 30 samurai were ordered to commit suicide for the injustice; when the number was reduced to 20, the indignant samurai cut out their own intestines and flung them at the French. The sentence was then reduced to 11