› added 1 year ago

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TIL that the word "shrapnel" comes from Lieutenant-General Henry Scrope Shrapnel, inventor of the first Shrapnel shell, whose name eventually came to be associated with the metal fragments his creation produced.

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vEV7 TIL The alternative names for our planet Earth, besides Gaia, are also Tellus and Telluris
BEgD TIL the highest earning sportsman in history is a Roman chariot racer called Gaius Appuleius Diocles, who earned, in today’s money, $15billion
wong7 TIL Dallas' first skyscraper, a 15-story, neo-classical tower built in 1909 was torn down in 2012. The tower's site was replaced by a giant 30-foot fiberglass sculpture of an eyeball. The artist said there’s no deep, hidden meaning but he wanted to make something that speaks to a lot of people
xVD90 TIL That Lincoln was almost assassinated 9 months before he was assassinated. While riding back to the Soliders' Home, a rifle fired hitting his hat. His horse was startled and ran "break-neck speed" as the President described it. Lincoln dismissed it as a hunting accident.
dD5oK TIL that melatonin, taken close to the target bedtime at the destination (10pm to midnight), decreases jet‐lag from flights crossing five or more time zones.