› added 4 years ago

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TIL of Ching Shih. Originally a prostitute who married a pirate, she ended up commanding a fleet of 20,000-40,000 pirates, battling the Portuguese empire, British empire, and Qing Dynasty at various stages. She married her adopted son, had two children with him and died a free woman at age 69.

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6EK9W TIL that in the 1950s, Mao's government purged capitalists and political opponents by abusing them verbally and physically until they confessed, often committing suicide. Jumping from tall buildings became so common that people avoided walking near skyscrapers, afraid that bodies might land on them
e0a5L TIL that the man who founded the world-famous Sriracha, David Tran, came up with his own recipe of the original Sriracha sauce which was originally from Thailand by the company called Sriracha Panich. The man did not trademark the recipe which lead to its widespread releases from major companies.
VxmD TIL more money was spent buying Central Park’s land than all of Alaska
Zj7v TIL Wolverines (weighing 9-25kg, and 110cm in length) have been known to attack and kill moose, which are almost 20 times their size. They will also defend their catch from bigger animals including bears and wolves.
J1JV1 TIL this date in 1857, my Great Uncle, a Mormon leader, began distributing children under the age of 8 to families in central Utah to adopt. He and his other Mormon friends had slit the throats of all the other children and adults.