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TIL When invented in 1840s, some people criticized anesthesia as a “needless luxury”

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DjDr TIL a man was given an old blanket by his grandmother. He kept it on the back of a chair for years only to find out it is a First Phase Navajo Chief blanket worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
WkyLA TIL that Silvio Berlusconi (ex-Italian prime minister) openly insulted Finnish cuisine. In response; a group of Finnish chefs created a smoked reindeer based pizza, named it after him and won 1st place in the ameria's plate international pizza contest. The Italian-American team only came second.
76OZ TIL that Steven Bradbury, an Australian short track speed skater, won an Olympic gold medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics by cruising behind his opponents and waiting until they crashed during both the semifinal and the final.
OoEbg TIL Japanese subways have custom jingles and play bird noises to calm people down and help the blind know where they are
mVEO TIL that the Washington Monument is the tallest stone structure in the world