› added 4 years ago

75

TIL that Greg LeMond, in order to win the 1986 Tour de France and become the first American to wear the Yellow Jersey, did so not only without help from his own team, but had to actively fend off their attacks.

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6907l TIL about the thick-tailed pygmy jerboa, a species of rodent found in China, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. They have a head and body length of around 4.5-6 cm, are described as having a large head with small eyes, and live in permanent burrows with multiple passages that can extend for 3 m.
RXgQ TIL the Roman Emperor Vespasian hated philosophers, seeing them as “unmanly complainers who talked too much.” One philosopher was banished to an island and still criticized Vespasian, so the Emperor sent a message: “You are doing everything to force me to kill you, but I do not slay a barking dog.”
kdgE TIL that second Viking Earl of Orkney, Sigurd Eysteinsson, was killed by the severed head of one his enemies. The head was strapped to Sigurd’s saddle, and as Sigurd rode, the head’s teeth grazed against Sigurd’s leg. The wound became infected and Sigurd died.
NOAM TIL the Dalai Lama said, “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.”
P15oJ TIL: The world record for longest time spent awake is not 11 days, contrary to popular belief, but 18 days and 21 hours.