› added 12 years ago

100

TIL in the Middle Ages, chess pawns had individual names that represented the occupations of citizens.

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4kXa5 TIL about Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti, a Paraguayan army major general who launched a coup against the dictator Alfredo Stroessner, successfully managed to overthrow and exile him, re-democratized Paraguay, signed a Paraguayan constitution with presidential term limits into law, and then stepped down.
5VdBp TIL Sweet Potatoes are not actually potatoes, but more closely related to Morning Glory
JGV1 Til that the east and west US use different sized sticks of butter
R51Q8 TIL Big Bird's species is debatable. Described as a canary, ibis, or type of whooping crane by others, he has said he is a) a Golden Condor + b) a lark, while Oscar calls him Turkey, Featherface, etc.
RWx4 TIL Joe Pesci was a guitarist before he was an actor, playing with Joey Dee and the Starliters. That position was later filled by Jimi Hendrix.