› added 11 years ago

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TIL the man who invented the plastic flamingo has been wearing matching outfits with his wife for 35 years.

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VBNwQ TIL in 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and brutally murdered in Pakistan while researching a story on militant links. His captors even released a disturbing video of his beheading. His body was cut into 10 pieces.
wgaY TIL that in 1382, a French bookseller named Nicholas Flamel claimed to have transformed lead into gold after decoding an ancient book of alchemy. True or not, historical records show that Flamel did come into considerable wealth around this time, and donated his riches to charity.
kO144 TIL Prosperity Gospel is a religious belief among some Christians, who hold that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one’s material wealth.
KYGo6 TIL King Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia created a military regiment of taller-than-average men. He scoured the country for men to fill the ranks of his "Potsdam Giants." Nations sent him tall soldiers to secure good relations. He even tried to pair them with tall women to breed a race of giants!
16KNO TIL that the world’s first postage stamp, the Penny Black, was issued on 1 May 1840. Featuring a portrait of 15-year-old Queen Victoria, it revolutionised mail. Over 68 million were printed, and until 1854, when perforations were introduced, each had to be cut out by hand with scissors.