› added 11 years ago

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TIL when researchers from Texas State Univ., who were studying the 17th century pirate Captain Morgan, ran out of funds while attempting to retrieve artifacts from his sunken ships off the coast of Panama, none-other than the Captain Morgan rum company granted them money to continue their work.

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via reddit.com

x6VYB TIL of telluric iron, iron that is found in a metallic form rather than as an ore.
lDpA TIL Dead Kennedys front man Jello Biafra ran for mayor of San Francisco; his platform included holding auctions for city government positions, setting up a board of bribery to handle liquor licenses and building codes, and forcing businessmen to wear clown suits. He placed 4th among 10 candidates.
rNGdy TIL in 1907, passengers arriving at Ellis Island had to pass a medical exam to enter the US. Doctors used a secret code to mark passenger's clothes with chalk: 'H' indicated heart trouble suspected; 'L' suspected lameness, and 'X' suspected feeble-mindedness.
W7rx9 TIL the actor with the most on-screen kills is Samuel L. Jackson with 1,734. Completing the Top 5 are: Milla Jovovich (1,299), Jet Li (1,076), Dolph Lundgren (940), and Arnold Schwarzenegger (842).
PYJnZ TIL George Washington borrowed The Law of Nations from the New York Society Library and didn't return it. Mount Vernon estate returned the book in 2010 (221 years overdue) after the Head librarian joked they were "not actively pursuing the overdue fines," they would appreciate having it back.