› added 9 years ago

94

TIL that the medieval Arab philosopher and skeptic al-Ma'arri wrote that religion consisted of ancient fables used to exploit the popular masses

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XExJr TIL that a certain tree in south Africa has been used as a post office for over 600 years
ypXJ TIL: Jewish law prohibits the separation of stuck-together newspaper pages on the Sabbath as it constitutes “applying the finishing touch” (one of the 39 activities prohibited on this day).
lo8E5 TIL of the postman in Ireland who managed to deliver a letter with just a hand drawn map and no address.
wLjm8 TIL sloth’s hands work opposite from our own. They close to relax and exert energy to open, which is what allows them to hang from the canopy for extended periods of time and sleep while hanging from a tree.
v1W5L TIL that the first casualty of the Vietnam War for the United States was Richard B. Fitzgibbon Jr., who was not killed in battle but was murdered by another serviceman