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1680

TIL that in 1949, a member of the New Zealand parliament was deemed to have used “unparliamentary language” for saying of another member that “his brains could revolve inside a peanut shell for a thousand years without touching the sides.”

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via ift.tt

L9D0 TIL That in 1984, in response to protests outside the Libyan embassy in London, machine gun fire was turned on protesters on the street from inside the embassy, hitting 11 people and killing a police officer. This lead to an armed siege of the embassy by police and breaking of diplomatic relations.
awRlZ TIL that beavers build dams based on the sound of flowing water, even if raised in captivity or in the absence of actual water.
P1Z6V TIL of Dr Joe Holland, who in 1917 guided the Postmaster in the Outback town of Halls Creek to perform surgery (repair a ruptured bladder) on an injured man via Morse code. Dr Holland then raced 2800km from Perth to reach Halls Creek via ship, model T Ford and the final 40km on horseback at night.
YpW5G TIL that cerebral palsy is a brain disorder that affects the areas of the brain that control movement. While CP can occur with intellectual disabilities, CP itself does not affect the reasoning areas of the brain. Most people with the disorder are as intelligent as anyone else.
W7RwL TIL in 1923, a jockey named Frank Hayes suffered a fatal heart attack and died mid-race. His body somehow remained on the horse and crossed the finish line in first place. He had never won a race before in his life.