› added 6 years ago

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TIL that while the guillotine was being prototyped, King Louis XVI "recommended that an oblique blade be used instead of a crescent blade, lest the blade not fit all necks". His own was "offered up discreetly as an example". He was later beheaded in 1793 during the French Revolution.

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R5k47 TIL that the talipot palm produces the world's largest flower cluster (inflorescence) containing one to several million flowers. It grows up to 25m tall, takes 30 to 80 years to reach maturity to flower and then dies immediately afterwards, having drained all its nutrients in the process.
jgWE TIL the famous composer Johann Sebastian Bach was in good health but died from complications due to vision correction surgery in 1750.
J1an8 TIL Prostitution was the biggest source of employment for women in Helena, Montana in the 1870’s and 80’s. In 1886 there were 52 prostitutes working the city. The madams became so wealthy they bought up blocks of downtown property and even started their own mortgage company.
R7yXl TIL that Sir Isaac Newton invented the first color wheel. Before his experiments, the better notion was that all colors were mixtures of Red (most light) and Blue (most darkness). Newton thought it was BS so he did light mixing experiments.
R7w1 TIL in the 90s scientists tried to create an artificial biosphere in the desert which ended up a massive failure crawling with crazy ants.