› added 10 months ago

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TIL that the longest time anyone has been awake is 11 days. In 1965, a 17-year-old named Randy Gardner stayed awake for a science experiment, breaking the world record. By the end, he experienced hallucinations and memory lapses.

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R7QJa TIL a lot of the greek tragedies of the classical period are "spin offs" or new takes on stories from the works of Homer. In Euripides' "Helen", Helen of Troy never really went to Troy, but unbeknownst to the Achaeans, she was in Egypt the whole time, and the trojan war was completely pointless
KLZR TIL Fritz Haber helped feed the world, but he also developed the first chemical weapon used in warfare. He is often referred to as “father of chemical warfare.” Haber may have saved more lives than anyone else in history, but he did so accidentally while trying to formulate new ways to kill people.
Qxyp TIL Tide detergent is the most shoplifted product in America. The Tide black market is so pervasive that it can be exchanged directly for drugs, and has earned the nickname “Liquid Gold”
oRl07 TIL a woman in China reportedly cut off her husband's penis with a scissors while he slept after she found out he had sent racy emails to another woman. In addition, while he was recovering in the hospital from the surgery that reattached it: she reportedly cut it off again & threw it out the window
KYVr9 TIL Francis Ford, the brother of movie director John Ford, was notable for appearing as Abraham Lincoln nine times in film over just four years from 1912 to 1915. Six of those appearances were in 1913 alone.