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TIL: Later in his life, Voltaire developed the habit of living near borders so he could more easily escape the authorities if his writings angered them

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D1rOY TIL in 1957, San Francisco's "Youth for Service" program helped get young gang members off the streets by having them help the community. They did things like paint houses and help the elderly. The idea was that they just wanted to feel needed.
XEMOD TIL: there are an estimated 200 bodies on MT Everest that hikers use as markers on their journey up the beast of a mountain, including a corpse named “green boots”.
A4R4 TIL that of the of the 139 members elected to the 1934 USSR Central Committee of the Communist Party at the 17th Congress, Stalin had 98 executed. Of 1,996 party members present, 1,108 were arrested, and about two thirds of those executed. Thus it was given the name “The Congress of the Condemned”.
J5k8 TIL ethics books are 50% more likely to be stolen from libraries than other philosophy books
d8xYQ TIL of the Stubby Squid. In 2016, Researchers from the Nautilus exploration vessel were cruising along the deep sea floor off California's coast when they came upon the bright purple creature with giant, googly eyes. The Scientists Couldn't contain their laughter.