› added 8 years ago

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TIL of the saluting trap. British army conscripts would form a large group, then one by one walk to an officer. Each would salute, forcing him to salute back. The goal was to force the officer to salute as many soldiers as possible as fast as possible to make his arm sore.

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GYXM1 TIL When the world's largest diamond was transported from Africa to England, an elaborate & secure journey by sea was publicized - as a rouse. The real diamond was simply posted by mail.
4Xo6b TIL bears purr, similar to cats, when they are happy and comfortable.
wdv7 TIL that there is an opposite of ambidextrous called ambisinister, which means you suck equally with both hands.
9my6 TIL Szechuan peppers cause numbness when eaten because they contain hydroxy-alpha-sanshool, a molecule that binds to cells’ tactile receptors to chemically simulate the same sensation as being vibrated at 50 hertz.
d6pr TIL that in China, more than 30 million people live in caves. Also that in the stone age there were only 5 million people on the earth, meaning that there are more cavemen now than there have ever been.