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TIL of the Stedinger Revolt. On 29 October 1232, Pope Gregory IX sent a letter authorising a crusade against the excommunicated Stedinger. In his letter, Gregory accused the Stedinger of holding orgies and worshiping demons in Satanic rites. The crusaders massacred 11,000 "their wives and children".

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bGMj TIL the top speed of the Bugatti Veyron is limited not by the engine, but rather its tires exploding.
LkYXp TIL a study of Europeans vs Sherpas during an Everest climb found Sherpa blood had less oxygen but used it more efficiently by burning less fat & more glucose (the opposite of Europeans). Plus Sherpas have thinner blood which put less strain on the heart, & more capillaries to deliver oxygen better.
W1oL TIL the RMS Empress of Ireland had a cat named Emmy who never missed a voyage until May 28, 1914 when Emmy refused to go aboard. The ship left without her and sunk the next day.
P4bL TIL in 1930, Albert Einstein supported the idea of a Jewish Homeland in Peru. Oppenheimer told him: “the land and climate are quite suitable”
X0rbQ TIL that in 1963 France launched the first cat into space. She was a Parisian stray called Félicette.