› added 11 years ago

92

TIL there are still 5 people living who were born in the 1800s.

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69BLw TIL that the English language doesn’t have any official authority or academy
R7w0l TIL: Ancients measured long distances by hiring "bematists." They were trained to count steps while walking between locations and could measure hundreds of miles with 95%+ accuracy. Eratosthenes used one to calculate the circumference of the Earth within 15% in 240 B.C.E.
bERp TIL some Spartans were expected to have male lovers, but purely physical relationships between males was condemned by the state. Instead the older lover was expected to act as the guardian and guide during the younger lover’s military training.
gMoEb TIL learned that early English puritans named their children some brilliantly insane names, with top hits including If-Christ-Had-Not-Died-for-Thee-Thou-Hads’t-Been-Damned Barebone, No-Merit Vinall, Sorry Scott and many more.
4kkxo TIL St. Louis has the highest homicide rate of all the major US cities beating out Detroit and Baltimore for the top spot. You're also nearly 4 times as likely to be a homicide victim in Memphis than in NYC.