› added 8 months ago

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TIL Priss Fotheringham, famed for popularising 'chucking', an act dating back to ancient Rome. She'd stand on her head naked, legs apart, allowing patrons to toss coins into her "commodity". Legend has it she could fit 16 half-crowns, a notable achievement per modern commentators.

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vMPK TIL that hours before his death Edgar Allen Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore. He was incoherent, wearing another man’s clothes, and unable to explain how he got there. The cause of his death is an unsolved mystery.
R5nZj TIL that mountain lions kill animals much larger than they can eat in a sitting, because other predators (wolves, bears, etc) will inevitably steal their prey. These carcasses become complete ecosystems to several insects who travel from carcass to carcass.
a8Okb TIL of the story of George Pickering, who barricaded and held hospital staff at gun point to keep them from taking his son off life support. After negotiating with SWAT to extend his sons care, his son made a full recovery.
4XwJJ TIL biblically accurate angels are very different from well-known description of the an angel - Old Testament depict one of them (Seraphim) as six-winged, flaming creature continuesly chanting "Holy, holy, holy" and the other (Ophanim) as pair of wheels with multiple eyes
4mER TIL Octopuses don’t actually have eight arms, they have only six while the remaining two are legs.