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TIL that in 1988, to demonstrate that channeling was a bogus practice, magician James Randi recruited José Alvarez, who pretended to channel a 2,000 year old spirit named Carlos, traveling the world and living like a celebrity. Alvarez continued the charade for years after 60 Minutes exposed them.

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6ayQ TIL a study has been published stating that being naked “led to an increase in life satisfaction, an effect that was also mediated by improvements in body image and self-esteem”
VMDND TIL that the Disney film Tangled (2010) is one of the most expensive movies of all time, which is unusual for an animated film. This is often attributed to the complexity in animating Rapunzel’s hair, however others point to the copious reworking in its troubled 14-year development period.
mx68O TIL Mormonism's Joseph Smith bought Egyptian scrolls from a travelling mummy salesman, translating the undeciphered glyphs to reveal the Book of Abraham — holy scripture written by Abraham himself. The papyrus survived, and modern Egyptologists found it's actually a funeral text for a guy named Hôr.
JYpmB TIL of Rita Crundwell, who embezzled $53.7 million during her 22 year career as treasure and controller of Dixon, Illinois. She used this money to support her championship Quarter Horse breeding operation. In 2008 alone, she was able to embezzle $5.8 million off of a city budget of $8-9 million.
NGmM TIL The Hercules Beetle can lift up to 850 times it’s own body weight, making it the strongest creature on Earth for its size