› added 11 years ago

87

TIL the word crackpot came from poor English people who went crazy from drinking tea steeped in cracked ceramic pots that had lead cores.

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XEvvk Today I learned that the first competitive motor race was held in 1894 and was over a distance of 126km from the French cities of Paris to Rouen
vPVK8 TIL that after a farm accident the dying farmer scratched his last will and testament onto a tractor fender, the tractor he was pinned under, and that fender was removed and submitted to the courts and ultimately found to be a valid will.
OYNg TIL The shortest regularly scheduled flight in the world is 1.7 miles and takes less than two minutes from takeoff to landing.
MeX6W TIL an innocent man spent 17 years in jail until he found his doppelganger with the same first name in the same jail. He was then released.
9m4m TIL the ancient Egyptians measured the flood levels of the Nile and levied taxes according to how high water levels were. If the water level indicated there would be a strong harvest, taxes would be higher.