› added 4 years ago

116

TIL the Adamites were a 2nd century Christian sect that sought to re-create the innocence of the Garden of Eden. To this end they called their church “Paradise”, practiced nudism, rejected marriage and claimed they could do whatever they wanted because they had no knowledge of good/evil.

epN9L TIL that American General Raymond E. Lee was a military diplomat of America to the UK in WW2. Personally walking around London to assess damages, he espoused optimism during the Blitz that the RAF would be able to take on Germany and he would personally reprimand newspapers for saying "devasted".
E1g1o TIL the British Army developed a salute with the palm facing outwards. The Royal Navy instead adopted a version with the palm facing downwards, as many men working on ships had dirty palms and to display them was disrespectful. The United States Armed Forces would later use the Royal Navy's version.
aEvA TIL the first drinking straw was designed to have a diameter slightly smaller than the typical lemon pip, as the inventor was tired of getting lemon seeds in his mouth when drinking lemonade.
epvW6 TIL One of the few recorded deaths resulting from a professional tennis match was a line judge that got hit in the groin by a serve. It knocked him backward out of his chair, hitting his head on the court. After that, line judges were no longer allowed to sit during play
P0AG TIL that a body over 2000 years old found in a bog was so well preserved it was at first thought to be a recent murder victim.