› added 1 year ago

51

TIL Wagner group named after Hitler's favorite composer

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5MXp TIL after the Great Seattle Fire, the city decided to raise street levels downtown by 8 to 32 feet. During the transition, people had to climb ladders to cross a street then climb back down to sidewalk level on the other side. 17 drunks died by falling off streets and onto sidewalks below.
b78N TIL Robert Smith (of The Cure) at 29 years old was severely depressed as no rock n roll band had put out a masterpiece album in their late 20’s. He then made “Disintegration” about that subject; it’s regarded as a masterpiece.
g0nD TIL the last person found guilty of witchcraft in England was Helen Duncan in 1944. She was famous for using papier mache dolls as ‘spirits’ and fake ectoplasm made of cheesecloth
OG4G4 TIL about Rikky von Opel, a former Formula One driver from Liechtenstein who retreated to a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. His exact whereabouts are unknown. He is also the great-grandson of Opel car brand founder Adam Opel.
gR09 TIL that in 1998 and 2001, Japan modified a number of national holidays in order to place them on Mondays and create three day weekends. This is referred to as the Happy Monday System.