› added 12 years ago

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TIL that pirates wore gold and silver earrings for superstitious reasons like not drowning or getting seasick, and curing bad eyesight. Also, the earrings’ worth covered the cost of a proper burial. They were also helpful to dangle pieces of wax from to use as ear plugs near cannons.

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Y7myx TIL Cao Xueqin is considered to be China's greatest novelist, but little is known of his life. He spent ten years writing "A Dream in Red Mansions" from 1740 to 1750 but the last chapters were written by a different author. The novel was not published until 1791, nearly 30 years after Cao's death
xVPZw TIL essential oil diffusers are harmful to dogs and more so for cats.
77vb TIL of Giorgio Perlasca. A meat importer from Padua, Italy. He posed as a Spanish diplomat in Nazi-controlled Hungary in 1944, saving over 5,000 Jews from deportation to the gas chambers. One memorable act saw him stare down Adolph Eichmann who wanted to remove two 12-year-old Jewish children.
781MP TIL of Robert Citron. Despite being a college drop out and having the math ability of a 7th grader, he climbed into the position of treasurer tax collector of Orange County, which he subsequently bankrupted
VMr54 TIL that 2000 hit song Around the World (La La La La La) of the German ATC band is actually originally a Russian song of Ruki Vverh! (Hands up!) pop group. The song wasn't even popular in Russia, BMG music co. acquired rights for it and Ruki Vverh! got proper royalties from the deal.