› added 11 years ago

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TIL France used to hold impotence trials, where wives could sue their husbands if he had ED. The husband would have to prove that he could get hard in court. If he couldn’t, his appeal would be a Trial by Congress, where the couple would have sex to prove the husband could fulfill his marital duties

pPPO TIL: Doug Welles survived being beaten with a club, stabbed, and shot to ultimately save his wife from a serial killer wanting to make her his next victim.
0dAAA TIL telomerase is a naturally forming enzyme that helps maintain the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, thus preventing cells from dying. When mice were genetically engineered to produce 10 times the normal levels of telomerase, they lived 50% longer than normal mice.
XEGoR TIL the "piano" means "soft" in Italian. The instrument's name is actually short for "pianoforte" (soft-loud) which is short for “gravicembalo col piano e forte” (harpsichord with soft and loud). Calling it "piano" defeats the purpose of its original name that meant to depict its dynamic sound.
6ReJ TiL: That it is considered unlucky to be the third person to light a cigarette. During World War One, soldiers thought that the enemy would see the first light, take aim on the second, and fire on the third, killing the soldier.
mAWp TIL Poon Lim survived 133 days adrift in the Pacific ocean on a 8’ square wooden raft. When rescued he was told no one had ever survived longer on a raft at sea, he simply replied “I hope no one will ever have to break that record.”