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148

TIL black cats are considered to bring good luck in Japan.

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YpwxA TIL There's a local tradition in Akita Japan called Namahage where grown men dress up like demons to scare children into behaving for their parents. They go from house to house yelling things like "Are there any crybabies at home?" or "Are naughty kids around?"
PYkae TIL that John Wilkes Booth’s grave is marked by a small plain headstone in his family’s plot. Every day people show their “respect” play placing pennies on it facing downwards.
E1o6V TIL of Joan Murray who survived an 80 mph skydiving fall, thanks to landing on a mound of fire ants, who's bites are believed to have given her a rush of adrenaline which kept her heart beating.
9YVbB TIL that one of the leading causes of polio outbreaks in the 20th century was the creation of modern, underground sewers that prevented children from being exposed to the virus at a younger and safer age.
N791M TIL the longest surgery ever recorded was performed in 2001 by a team of 20 doctors; it took 103 hours (more than four days) to complete.