› added 3 years ago

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TIL The use of barber's pole dates back to the middle ages. The barbers used to perform surgery on customers, therefore the colored stripes indicated that they were prepared to bleed their patients (red), set bones or pull teeth (white), or give a shave if nothing more urgent was needed (blue).

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NJ5e TIL that in 2007 the head of NASA called the Space Shuttle a big mistake. He wrote that had the agency instead continued using the Apollo-Saturn system that went to the moon, “we would be on Mars today”.
7O7p TIL in 1987, Mr. T angered the residents of Lake Forest, by cutting down more than a hundred oak trees on his estate. The incident was called The Lake Forest Chain Saw Massacre
x6b9k TIL former Alben Barkley, relegated to the back bench in his return to the Senate, noted in a speech, “I’m glad to sit in the back row, for I would rather be a servant in the House of the Lord than to sit in the seats of the mighty.” He then dropped dead.
WkRJX TIL that the north pole is actually the "magnetic south pole" and what we call the south pole is actually the "magnetic north pole". I've been living a lie my whole life.
Lkl4r TIL that during the filming of Jackass 3D, Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine, and the rest of the crew banned beer from the set to help Steve-O maintain his sobriety.