› added 10 years ago

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TIL that German children are taught the dangers of misbehavior through traumatic stories. These include a child having his thumbs cut off for thumbsucking and a girl who burns to death for playing with matches

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Y7yAZ TIL about the Lyrebird, a bird specie local to South Australia. It can mimic at least 20 different bird species. a baby crying, a chainsaw, camera flicker, a car alarm, a fire alarm, gun shots to even laser beam sound effects and many more.
GAwRE TIL Havre, MT burned down in 1904. The citizens moved into their basements and built tunnels between homes and businesses, until an entire city flourished underground, including a bordello, opium den, and ice cream shop. It was opened for tours in 1999.
ZBVY TIL that in 19th-century America, the belief that sausages were usually made out of dog meat was so widespread that they started to be called “hot dogs”
QN919 TIL ancient Greeks used the term gymnosophist ("naked wise man") to describe the Indian philosophers they encountered who renounced materialism (including clothing).
e06nJ TIL Nathaniel Hawthorne was related to a judge named John Hathorne who resided over the Salem Witch Trials. Upon learning of his ancestry, Hawthorne was so horrified that he changed the spelling and pronunciation of his name so as to avoid any connections being made.