› added 1 day ago

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TIL about Bishnu Shrestha, a Nepalese-Ghurka soldier who went up against 30+ train robbers after they tried SAing an 18yo near him. He refused money offered by her family, saying "Fighting the enemy in battle is my duty as a soldier. Taking on the thugs on the train was my duty as a human being".

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via reddit.com

Bgw0e TIL that in 1904, the Olympic marathon in St. Louis became infamous for its chaotic and bizarre events. Runners suffered due to extreme heat, one athlete took a car for part of the race, and another was nearly poisoned by his coach, who gave him brandy and strychnine as "performance enhancers."
W7ZJL TIL that Nickelodeon almost cancelled Hey Arnold’s Christmas episode because they thought kids wouldn't care about its portrayal of the Vietnam War. An executive revoked the decision when her nine-year-old son saw a rough cut of the episode and asked 'Mom, is that what Vietnam was all about?'.
b6mY4 TIL the song "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple is about a 1971 incident at a Frank Zappa concert at Montreaux Casino where an audience member fired a flare into the ceiling causing a fire that destroyed the venue.
OGek7 TIL researchers strapped cameras to 60 outdoor house cats and found they killed on average 2+ animals per week
b9AJQ TIL that in 2001, in an attempt to mitigate the HIV and AIDS pаndemic, King Mswati III of Eswatini (Africa's only absolute monarch) banned sexual relations for girls under 18 for a 5-year period. 2 months later, he chose a 17 year-old to become his 13th wife. He was fined a cow, which he duly paid