› added 12 years ago

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TIL Between 213-210BC in Ancient China, Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi buried scholars alive (and burned books) in order to unify all thoughts and political opinions and to suppress intellectual discourse.

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YpYRd TIL of Maurice Herzog, the french mountaineer who summited Annapurna 1 first in 1950, the deadliest 8000 meter mountain with a 32% death rate. Not only was this the first 8000 meter peak summited, but also the only 8000 meter peak conquered on its first attempt.
dDRbd TIL car speedometers often become "frozen" following a heavy accident. The last reading can indicate the speed at impact, but is usually incorrect. This is not a feature - speedometers were not designed to jam after an accident.
kJZR1 TIL about Hans Steininger, the mayor of Braunau am Inn, (now in Austria) who died in 1567 after tripping over his own 4.5-foot beard during a town fire panic. Normally tucked in a pocket, the beard came loose, leading him to fall down some stairs and break his neck.
1aWk4 TIL that on average, a person preoccupied with money problems exhibited a drop in cognitive function similar to a 13-point dip in IQ, or the loss of an entire night’s sleep.
VvMm TIL that Harry Potter’s stuntman was paralysed in the last film during an explosion scene.