› added 2 weeks ago

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TIL that in paranormal folklore, people who die suddenly or violently (like in an accident or murder) are believed to be more likely to become ghosts because their spirit is “shocked” and full of unresolved energy, while people who die from illness are thought to be less likely to linger as spirits

yQyLl TIL in 1934 Josef Stalin lost re-election to General Secretary of the Communist Party 292 against, and only 3 for. 290 of the votes were deleted from the official records, leaving him the winner by 1 vote.
MeY9A TIL in WWII, weather reports were censored to prevent enemy submarines from learning about conditions. A football game in Chicago was so covered in fog that the radio announcer couldn't see the field, but afterwards he was officially thanked for never using the word "fog" or mentioning the weather.
x65X5 TIL Green Day bassist Mike Prichard adopted the stage name Mike Dirnt as "Dirnt" was originally a nickname that his friends from grade school gave him, as he constantly played "air bass/guitar" and made a "dirnt, dirnt, dirnt" noise while pretending to pluck the strings.
grj0L TIL a sculpture made for Queen Elizabeth II's 1977 silver jubilee was originally a rejected transparent acrylic monolith prop for the movie "2001: a Space Odyssey." Artist Arthur Fleischmann repurposed it by carving a crown and rays of light onto one side.
N7YDP TIL that after assassinating Sanjaasürengiin Zorig (who led the Mongolian Revolution that overthrew the communist government), the perpetrator(s) strangely stole a bottle of vinegar and a bottle of soy sauce from his refrigerator before fleeing.