› added 4 years ago

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TIL of Chinese assassin, Shi Jianqiao. In the Warlord Era (1916-1928) when Shi was 19, her warlord father was defeated & executed by a rival, Sun Chuanfang. Shi spent her 20s tracking Sun down, killing him in 1935. Chinese society was so moved by her act of filial revenge that the court pardoned her

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ANZV4 TIL that, every two years since 1965, one senator's desk in the US Senate has been designated the "Candy Desk". The senator who occupies this desk is responsible for ensuring that it is stocked with an abundant supply of candy.
GYWZN TIL ELO's first album "The Electric Light Orchestra" has a different name in the US. The american record company tried to call and confirm the name of the album. When they failed to reach anyone on the phone, they wrote down "No Answer", which someone misconstrued as the name of the album.
4XXaa TIL that J.R.R Tolkien got the name for Samwise Gamgee from a doctor called Joseph Sampson Gamgee, the inventor of the 'Gamgee tissue', an absorbent gauze surgical dressing made from cotton wool. Hence, Tolkien named Samwise's wife in The Lord of the Rings books Rosie Cotton.
ZgJB TIL that in Europe, 92% of expecting parents terminate pregnancy upon receiving a Down Syndrome diagnosis. In America, 67%.
aMpZ TIL Jehovah’s Witnesses have falsely predicted the end of the world 20 times.