DQWOj TIL that Nelson Mandela rejected early release from prison on the condition that he renounce violence as a political weapon
J1Vlk TIL in Islam, Jesus is foretold to return, defeat the anti-Christ, assume rulership of the world and establish peace and justice. Ultimately dying of natural causes and being buried next to Muhammed.
vPkwr TIL Warren G. Harding wrote love letters to his mistress Carrie Philips, where he referred to his penis as "Jerry"
pYlxp TIL of a secret WW2 German weather forecast unit in the Arctic. Their mission failed when, after shooting a polar bear and eating its raw meat, everyone but the vegetarian paramedic fell ill with the parasitic disease trichinosis and the unit had to be evacuated.
GA6eE TIL the Citicorp Center engineering crisis where it was discovered the 53-floor building was improperly built and would collapse under hurricane-force winds. Such a hurricane was due approximately every sixteen years and a massive reconstruction effort was launched to reinforce the building.
16E04 TIL - Volkswagen sells curry wurst. It’s part number is 199 398 500 A
oR8A8 TIL a Filipino artist built an 8-foot figure of Transformers' Optimus Prime entirely out of cardboard.
dDn5Q TIL that for centuries, samurai and aristocrats practiced ohaguro to dye their teeth pitch black. Black teeth were a status symbol and beauty standard in ancient Japan, and the process actually protected against cavities.
KYeNR TIL the three actors in The Blair Witch Project signed a contract with a clause that allowed the studio to use their real names "for the purpose of this film". So when their identities were used again in the sequel without their permission, they sued the studio and won a settlement of $300,000 each.
ZpoGR TIL about 90% of marine debris washes up on less than 10% of the world's coastlines, favoring beaches perpendicular to the dominant ocean current.
a8mGo TIL Kansas City Chiefs quaterback Patrick Mahomes said in an ESPN interview, that as his sport superstition, he has worn the same pair of red underwear his wife bought him, on every game day of his NFL career.
78d0b TIL in 2025, astronomers discovered S/2025 U 1, a tiny moon orbiting Uranus that's only about 10 kilometers in diameter the smallest known moon of the planet.