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TIL Kaiser Wilhelm once spanked Ferdinand I of Bulgaria, his cousin, while the Tsar was looking out a window. Because Wilhelm refused to apologize, the Tsar awarded a major arms contract to France instead of Germany.

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RLNQ TIL that on April 18th, 1930 (Good Friday) the BBC announced that the world was indeed “Good” and there was nothing worth reporting in the news.
nWj1o TIL the term "fairy tale" was coined by Marie Catherine d’Aulnoy to describe a collection of stories she wrote released in 1697-98.
Zp9kQ TIL that Joseph Petrosino an NYPD officer, warned President McKinley that there was an assassination plot due to take place against him, in Buffalo New York. McKinley brushed off the warning, and was duly assassinated.
VMP9B TIL there’s a mountain in Switzerland called the Niesen (aka the Swiss Pyramid) that’s home to the world’s longest staircase. It’s only open one day a year for a race to the top. The fastest runners can ascend the 11,674 steps and 5400’ (1660m) in just under an hour.
6bKW TIL the first woman to earn a PhD in Computer Science was a nun.