› added 8 years ago

399

TIL Czechoslovak runner Emil Zátopek decided to compete in the marathon in the 1952 Olympics, despite never having run that distance in his life. Zátopek asked fellow runner Jim Peters, who he was racing alongside, if the pace was fast enough. When Peters said “no”, Zátopek sped up and won the race

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

D1EV TIL During the 1863 New York Draft Riots (that was dramatized in Gangs Of New York) The staff of The New York Times averted rioters that were targeting the newspaper with two Gatling guns; one of which was manned by Henry Raymond, owner and editor of The New York Times, himself.
66xY TIL tanning beds have been classified as a Class One carcinogen by the World Health Organization, the same as plutonium, and Brazil has banned tanning salons and the sale or purchase of tanning equipment outright. 30 US States have some restrictions.
rR0ox TIL There are Shadow Doctors that Perform Surgery I came across a video of a youtube that was a translator for a hospital in South Korea and she elaborated on why she wouldn’t want plastic surgery done on her. I thought it was interesting and worth a share...
nrXo TIL that hockey player, Jarome Iginla, donates $2,000 to the children’s charity Kidsport for every goal he scores. Since 2000 it has added up to more than $700,000.
XEW66 TIL when his childless emperor cousin died, Zhu Houcong had to be adopted by his dead uncle to become the Jiajing Emperor. He refused to honor his uncle like a parent even though it was required. Instead, he made his dead dad an emperor to bypass this rule and to stay loyal to his birth parents.