› added 2 years ago

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TIL when Théodore Géricault was painting “The Raft of the Medusa,” he met with survivors of the disaster, built a replica raft, and purchased multiple human limbs and a severed head which he took back to his studio in order to accurately portray the colour and texture of decaying flesh. [NSFW]

OoOWY TIL that in 1969, the Penn Central Railroad Co. planned to build a tower on top of Grand Central which would have required removal of a portion of the station's facade. The NYC Landmark Preservation Commission rejected the design, leading to a landmark Supreme Court "takings-clause"case in 1978.
J1LE8 TIL that King Zog of Albania bought Knollwood Estate on Long Island in 1951. Rumors say he bought it with a bucket of diamonds and rubies, apparently hidden on the estate itself. It was later demolished in 1959.
gwvD TIL of Mariya Oktyabrskaya, who’s husband died in WW2 so she sold all of her belongings and built a tank “The Angry Girlfriend” for revenge. She became the first female tanker to ever win the Hero of the Soviet Union award
WkBdY TIL that the coconut crab, the world's largest terrestrial invertebrate, is also the largest hermit crab species.
QJoDM TIL Einstein didn't know how to swim, but he refused to wear a lifejacket. He was always running his boat aground because he was so busy relaxing that he didn’t look to see where he was going. His family was convinced that if he didn’t drown, he’d get his head smashed by the masts and spars.