› added 3 weeks ago

17

TIL There’s a missing “Pope John XX” — because of confusion during the Middle Ages, the numbering skipped from John XIX directly to John XXI. There never was an official John XX!

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mxGEv TIL during WWII, Finland set off hundreds of mines left by retreating Soviets by playing the same polka song about 1500 times
0dgQM TIL: In the US they call Heath Robinson contraptions "Rube Goldberg machines"
5Pw9 TIL There was a con artist who was so good, he sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice.
pVP4 TIL when regulators were considering limiting the use of flame retardants in furniture, a doctor gave up his liscense after telling lawmakers false stories of babies who suffered fatal burns while on cushioning that lacked flame retardants. The industry secretly paid him $240,000 for his testimony.
KYmkJ TIL that in 1720, the House of Savoy traded the rich island of Sicily for the poorer Sardinia under pressure from European powers. Though a downgrade in land, it let them keep their royal title—setting the stage for their descendants to later control all of Italy.