› added 1 year ago

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TIL that American cigarette consumption peaked in 1963 at a yearly rate of 4,345 cigarettes per capita, or an average of nearly 12 daily cigarettes for every person in the country.

6EXvW TIL there is a Christmas tradition in Catalonia involving an anthropomorphic log that defecates candy. On Christmas Eve, children beat the log with sticks while singing the song "Caga tió" ("Shit, log") so that candy might appear the next morning.
Am7n TIL a man’s house was invaded by a SWAT team because they thought he was searching the Web for how to kill his wife, but it turned out he was a TV writer researching for a crime show.
OG647 TIL about Don Black, a white supremacist, member of the American Nazi Party, Grand Wizard of the KKK and founder of the neo-nazi, Holocaust denial, homophobic website Stormfront; he was arrested by the ATF in 1981 while attempting a naval invasion and armed overthrow of the government of Dominica
x0L7 TIL that the bascules (the road that opens) of Tower Bridge in London are typically only raised to an angle sufficient for a vessel to safely pass under the bridge. However, if the Monarch is on board, they are raised fully no matter the size of the vessel.
m14JE TIL Arsenic was known to be dangerous and addictive in the Victorian Era, but small amounts in the form of edible wafers were thought to not only be safe but to help one achieve that sought-after pale complexion, giving the skin an "indescribable brilliancy" according to advertisements.