› added 7 months ago

167

TIL that George Hull, a tobacconist and trickster fooled thousands with a “petrified giant” to settle an argument he had with a preacher.

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QJ8a6 TIL heroin was originally marketed as a nonaddictive alternative to morphine
ZpleB TIL that possum’s “playing dead” behavior is not a conscious behavior. Instead it is an instinctive reflex and they enter a catatonic-like state though they can remain mentally aware of the situation.
P1gGZ TIL in WW2, the US made 1.5 million Purple Heart medals because so many casualties were expected from the invasion of Japan. As this never happened, they are still using that stockpile of medals.
oYKW TIL that the Leica Camera company smuggled hundreds of Jews out of Nazi Germany before the Holocaust, masquerading the Jews as employees being assigned overseas. The company helped each refugee find a job, gave each of them a Leica camera, and a monthly stipend till they found work.
R7OKQ TIL Cleopatra married both her 12 year old brother and Julius Caesar because Egypt allowed polygamy.