› added 12 years ago

95

TIL that “Finnegans Wake”, is widely considered to be one of the most difficult works of fiction to read. Readers and commentators have yet to come to an agreement on who the characters are or what the plot is.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

gr6Ry TIL that most of the 100,000 French soldiers evacuated at Dunkirk were quickly sent back to France. About half of them ended up redeployed against the Germans before the French surrender, and many were subsequently killed or captured.
wM9J TIL many Americans who need mental health services never get it because doing so could disqualify them from receiving life insurance
ADEAw TIL that a 3600-year-old ancient Egyptian papyrus is the oldest known surgical text and contains the earliest recorded use of the word “brain” and suggests using raw meat to stop bleeding.
wDBP TIL there is an American restaurant chain, “Der Wienerschnitzel”, that contains three German language errors in its name. The gender is incorrect, the restaurant serves hot dogs (not Wiener schnitzel), and a missing space implies that residents of Vienna have been used as an ingredient.
wLVa8 TIL that the half-penny was discontinued in 1857 because it was worth too little. But in 1857, the half-penny had more purchasing power than today's dime.