› added 11 years ago

79

TIL Listerine was first sold as a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea

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vPRjB TIL Salivating before vomiting is a way for your body to protect your teeth from the incoming stomach acid.
ndZY TIL a madman in San Francisco declared himself, “Emperor of America and Protector of Mexico.” The people were such good sports about it that they honored his regal decrees and the currency he created was widely accepted around the city. 30,000 attended his funeral
84VZ TIL When someone called the black chauffeur of Alice Roosevelt (daughter of Teddy) a “black bastard”, the driver took it in stride. Roosevelt, however, leaned out the window and shouted “Shut up, you white son of a bitch.”
XEGp6 TIL about Hans Schmidt, the only Catholic priest to ever be executed in the US. He killed his pregnant mistress, drank her blood, and dismembered her. He was found guilty for the crime and executed via electric chair in Feb 1916.
Z861o TIL In 1817: Welsh manufacturer and labor rights activist Robert Owen coins the phrase “Eight hours labor, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest,” dividing the day into three equal eight-hour parts. Creating the 40 hour work week.