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TIL that the name Vanessa was invented by Jonathan Swift for Esther Vanhomrigh who was a longtime lover of his. The name was created by taking "Van" from Vanhomrigh and adding "Essa", a pet form of Esther.

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b9VM9 TIL according to Buddhism, at the core of all human beings and living creatures, there is no "eternal, essential and absolute something called a soul, self or atman". Nirvana, or liberation, is defined as the blissful state when a person realizes that he or she has "no self, no soul".
R5x78 TIL about the Book Women: during the Great Depression women would ride packhorses loaded with books to rural Appalachian towns, the Pack Horse Library project aimed to promote literacy.
OoRx7 TIL about breatharianism: the (false and deadly) believe that humans do not need food or water but can survice on sunlight alone.
d8Bgr TIL of the Aquatots. In 1950, Bubba, aged 4, swam 22 miles of the Mississippi River while Kathy, aged 2, swam 5 miles. When their father attempted them crossing the English Channel, the British and French forbade it as child abuse. Later, the father bragged of their baby food diet and killed Kathy.
E1RZ7 TIL the cast of Top Gear was once violently attacked by an angry mob because the locals were offended by the license plate on one of their cars.