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TIL most of present-day Boston actually sits on man-made landfill supported by underground wooden pilings

Read more news.nationalgeographic.com

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yQyXl TIL that the most prolific mathematician in history, Paul Erdos, took amphetamines for the last 30 years of his life to fuel 18 hour working days. Once he was challenged to stay off the Benzedrine for a month - he succeeded but said “Mathematics has now been set back a whole month.”
R7LW7 TIL when a woman accidentally dropped her $4000 engagement ring in the cup of a street beggar, he did not sell it and instead returned it to her. In return, the woman raised $190,000 for him.
mDQO TIL that the 27th amendment, which forbids congress from raising their own pay during their term, was proposed by James Madison in 1789 and wasn’t ratified until 1992.
Z8ea4 TIL there is a Hebrew equivalent to the Yiddish phrase "oy vey" (a phrase expressing dismay or exasperation) - it's "oy vavoy"
woXyE TIL the term "chemist" is derived from "alchemist"