› added 5 years ago

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TIL that the word "amethyst" means "not drunk" because of an Ancient Greek belief that drinking from an amethyst cup would prevent intoxication.

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OGnoY TIL of the "world's rudest waiter," Edsel Ford Fong, who greeted visitors with an admonition to "Sit down and shut up!" He was known for calling patrons "retarded" and "fat", criticizing people's menu choices and then telling them what they should order, amongst others.
BmxD TIL that MIT students discovered that by buying $600,000 worth of lottery tickets in the Massachusetts’ Cash WinAll lottery they could get a 10-15% return on investment. Over 5 years, they managed to game $8 million out of the lottery through this method.
GYlx5 TIL flight hijacking from the USA to Cuba during the 60s/70s was so common, pilots were equipt with detour flight plans and building a fake "Havana airport" in south Florida was seriously considered
ApRg TIL A Polish immigrant, who didn’t speak English, was tasered to death by Canadian police. A memory card containing video of the incident was later taken away from a witness.
lE0N TIL that Thomas Harris based his character Hannibal Lecter on a real person, a doctor who murdered and dismembered his victims and treated patients while in prison. He spent nearly 40 years in prison before being released in 2000. He went back to practicing medicine.