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TIL that in the early medieval Catholic Church, priests accused of pedophilia would be publicly beaten, have their heads shaven, and then be bound in chains and imprisoned.

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WrWL TIL that Hungary had a public online vote in 2006 to name a new bridge. Stephen Colbert mobilized his viewers and got 17 million votes to name the bridge “Stephen Colbert Bridge”. Hungary has a population of 10 million. Additional TIL: “Perl-Script Bridge” came in fifth.
x6kbw TIL that the phrase „New Deal“ as used by FDR does not mean deal as in agreement, but Deal as in dealing cards. The American people were supposed to get dealt a new hand
QJmKL TIL that a photon of light can travel the 150 million kilometres from the Sun to the Earth, and in that same time, a gamma ray in the Sun's core will travel only about 13 centimetres. It can take 100,000 years from the core of the Sun to get to the surface — where it bursts out at speed of light.
BgN1D TIL about the Great Binge, the period in history covering roughly 1870 to 1914. It is so known because of the widespread use and availability of narcotics such as opium, heroin, cocaine, morphine, and absinthe
VMDVZ TIL of Alice Bradley Sheldon, an author who wrote under different names to hide her gender and identity. Best known as James Tiptree Jr. and Raccoona Sheldon, she was not very successful getting published under the psuedonym Raccoona until her other alter, Tiptree, wrote to publishers to intervene.