› added 11 years ago

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TIL After the Battle of Waterloo, Nathan Rothschild received the news that the British won against Napoleon 1 day before the British. He cornered the market on bonds and they day the news was divulged, he sold all the bonds he bought to make over a 40% profit making him the richest man in England.

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WGvY TIL Maud Gonne, a fascinating 19th century revolutionary, was so grieved by the death of her infant son that she and the boy’s father had sex next to his coffin in the hope that his soul would transmigrate in metempsychosis
nemk9 TIL Switzerland has enough nuclear fallout shelters to accommodate the entire population.
ADDaa TIL when researchers from the University of Texas instructed people to spend a number of dollars a week either on experiences or on material goods, the first group felt happier afterwards. The reason is that the goods remain the same, so we stop noticing them, but experiences bring more variety.
7rwNL TIL when insects are electrocuted by bug zappers, it can spread a mist containing insect parts up to about 2 metres from the device. The air around the bug zapper can become contaminated by bacteria and viruses that can be inhaled by people or settle on food.
0wQEy TIL that a research suggests that humans fear cockroaches the most, even more than mosquitoes, due to an evolutionary aversion.