› added 12 years ago

121

TIL Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined the offer

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

4XVpN TIL Horses killed more people in Australia between 2000 and 2013 than all venomous animals combined. Spiders were not responsible for any deaths during that time.
LkYnm TIL the Apple calendar only dates years as far back as 1583.
5YxxP TIL that in medieval times, there was a real fear that some people would kill holy men and women to sell off their body parts as relics. Guards even had had to watch over mortally ill holy men and women to prevent their body parts being sold soon as they died.
xrmD TIL every American gold or silver medalist in the 100 meter sprint since 1988 was eventually busted for doping.
epp85 TIL In 1860s, thousands of octagonal houses started popping up in the United States. Orson Fowler’s book that popularized this layout claimed it was a more efficient use of space, energy, and cost than the square structures. It is estimated that around 2,000 octagon homes remain.