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TIL the sack of Constantinople in 1453 and subsequent closure of the Silk Road by the Ottoman Empire was a main motivator of Europe to seek a western route to Asia

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kbKg TIL that the ‘mare’ in nightmare actually refers to an evil spirit in European folklore, which people would believe sat on their chests while they slept, causing unpleasant dreams.
M1e7 TIL Thomas Jefferson and John Adams once traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon to visit Shakespeare’s birthplace. While there, they took a knife to one of Shakespeare’s chairs so they could take home some wood chips as souvenirs.
b9dPZ Today I learned about Susan Kuhnhausen, a 51 year old nurse, who beat and strangled a hit man to death. The hit man was sent by her estranged husband
Qv9k TIL- Halley’s Comet has two correct pronunciations. It can rhyme with “daily” or “valley” since the discoverer, Edmond Halley, spelled his name 6 different ways during his lifetime.
6EBYQ TIL former Chicago Blackhawks goalie Sam LoPresti once killed a dolphin with basically a shiv, to feed 28 of his shipmates who were stranded on a lifeboat for 42 days, after a German torpedo took out their ship. They cooked the meat in a bucket full of kerosene soaked rags. Hockey players, man...