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TIL: Ancient Athens had a system called ostracism, where citizens could vote to exile someone for 10 years without a trial, often used against powerful or controversial figures to protect democracy.

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LkJVQ TIL that for 23 Years The French Have Been Building A Real Medieval Castle Using Only Medieval Construction Techniques
LkVjV TIL The briefcase in Pulp Fiction originally contained diamonds but that was deemed too predictable so it was decided that the contents were never to be seen. This way each audience member would fill in the blank with their own contents.
mxOby TIL about Tim McGrath, who lost half his face to soft tissue cancer, and had to live with exposed flesh for a year after several reconstructions surgeries failed. WARNING: extremely graphic nsfw images in link.
R7478 TIL that a meteorite that fell contained many organic compounds, one of which is a novel amino acid similar to mammal neurotransmitters and can treat chronic pain
wLJD8 TIL to be "anal retentive" originally referred to someone who took pleasure in retaining their feces