› added 3 years ago

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TIL of the Truth about Hansel and Gretel - a book that purportedly uncovered the origins of the myth: a baker named Hans Metzler and his sister Gretel killed an old woman for her recipe for gingerbread. Wildly popular, the book was soon discovered to be a hoax

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jNQNp TIL the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan shifted the main island of the country by 8 feet and the planet's axis by 4 inches
b91j7 TIL Jason Segel's nickname in highschool was Dr. Dunk because he won a slam dunk contest
4Lra TIL Hunter S. Thomson’s relationship with the Hell’s Angels was primarily amiable during his research for his articles and books, but when Thomson admonished a Gang Member by stating: “Only a punk beats his wife”, Thomson was severely beaten, or “stomped” as well.
xVdMD TIL Tom Lehrer's famous song "Poisoning Pigeons In The Park" was inspired by the City of Boston doing exactly that. The city spread strychnine-laced corn in its public parks to reduce the pigeon population
nK1r TIL that a family who had orphaned kids living with them got on Extreme Makeover Home Edition, then kicked the kids out of the house