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426

TIL Julius Cesar was captured by pirates and laughed in their faces when the ransom wasn’t large enough. Then, while sending his men for the silver, he won them over by patronizing them and threatening to have them all killed, which he did.

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mxX7p TIL that the Where’s Waldo book series was released with different names internationally. In Britain you were looking for Wally, Germans searched for tiny Walter, the French scoured the pages for petite Charlie, and if you were a young South African you tried to spot a little Willie.
loXlA TIL that chili peppers are spicy as a strategy to ensure that birds (which can't taste capsaicin) will spread their seeds far and wide and mammals will avoid eating them.
KOM59 TIL that "having the guts to fight" used to mean soldiers being diarrhea-free, and thus able to participate in battle
ZppJv TIL about CityTree, a moss covered wall that is capable of binding environmental toxins while producing oxygen at the same time. It has the same purifying effect as 250 trees.
JGpQ TIL that while the real “Santa Claus” may have been from Turkey, Father Christmas is actually a version of Odin, and the eight reindeer pulling the sleigh represent the eight legs of Sleipnir, Odin’s horse.