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TIL Henry VIII's doctors were too scared to tell him he was dying while he was on his deathbed because of the Treason Act forbidding anyone from speculating about the King's death. The Archbishop was the one who had to break the news.

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16Ddr TIL some of the earliest sunglasses were crystal sunglasses used by judges in 12th century Chinese courts, to conceal their facial expressions while questioning witnesses. They were made from flat panes of smoky quartz.
6E6xm TIL that on October 8, 1871, three of the worst fires in American history began. The Great Chicago Fire displaced 100,000, the Great Michigan fire burned 2.5 million acres of forest, and the Peshtigo fire remains America's deadliest with 1200-2500 killed.
OjAR TIL Sunscreen is contributing to decline of coral reefs. The damaging effects were seen in coral in concentrations of oxybenzone as low as 62 parts per trillion, which is equivalent to a drop of water in six and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to the researchers.
E1py0 TIL that international flights first started in the 1700s between European countries. You could even travel by air from the UK to France and Germany in just a matter of hours.
wobp1 TIL "Weird Al" Yankovic never got permissions from Prince to record parodies of his songs. Once, before the American Music Awards where he and Prince were assigned to sit in the same row, he got a telegram from Prince's management company, demanding he not even make eye contact with the artist.