› added 10 years ago

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TIL one of the Popes was a 100% accident. In the Middle Ages, cardinals would often vote for a random candidate on the first papal ballot in order to see how the other cardinals were leaning, but in 1334 this backfired when they all voted for the same person: the very surprised Pope Benedict XII.

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P1NYZ TIL Sweden has the largest Mandaean population in the world. Mandaeans are the last major Gnostic faith; so given Sweden’s high Mandaean population and low general population, Sweden is the most Gnostic country on Earth.
xV7J0 TIL Spain's newest submarine was 75+ tons heavier than expected because someone put a decimal point in the wrong place. It could go down, but might not come up again.
yVVLp TIL that strongest insect in the world is Horned Dung Beetle that can lift over 1100 times its body weight which equals to an average person lifting 2 fully loaded 18 wheel trucks above their heads.
rNLK1 TIL Boston Latin School, founded in 1635, was the first U.S. public school. Although it has changed locations several times, it remains in operation today. Famous alumni include John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Cotton Mather and Joseph Kennedy.
Br5DL TIL about the Medlar, a fruit that was once popular in ancient and medieval times but was nearly forgotten in the 20th Century (Deleted and reposted due to title error in the original post, which stated that this fruit is enjoyed rotten. In fact, bletting is a kind of ripening)