› added 5 years ago

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TIL the last 2 Afghan Jews lived on opposite sides of Kabul's synagogue, both claimed ownership of the space, refused to leave fearing the other would sell it. The two fought so much over the synagogue's Torah (bible) scroll that, after each called Taliban on the other, the Taliban confiscated it.

Read more telegraph.co.uk

via reddit.com

0wPG5 TIL of all felines, the Margay (tree ocelot), native to Central and South America, is most adapted for a true arboreal life.It is the only cat to possess the ability to rotate its hind legs 180°, enabling it to run head-first down trees like squirrels.It can also hang from a branch by one hind foot.
YpMjd TIL about Yasuteru Yamada, a retired engineer who after watching the news coverage of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, organized a group of 200+ fellow retirees and volunteered to go to the site and assist in the cleanup so the younger generation didn't have to and risk exposure to radiation.
7D0p TIL Steven Spielberg asked to do a James Bond movie, but was refused. When he told George Lucas he was going to ask again, Lucas said “I’ve got something better than that. It’s called Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
D1j8g TIL that there is a shrine located in Kyoto, Japan dedicated to the 38,000 severed noses of Korean troops and civilians. Japanese warriors would traditionally bring back body parts of enemies as proof of their deeds. A total of 214,752 heads were brought back after the second invasion of Korea.
yQwPw TIL the NHS has begun prescribing fishing as a treatment for depression and anxiety