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Spartan warriors engaged in institutionalized bullying of their helot slave population by forcing them to get blackout drunk in public to show young Spartan boys how embarrassing intoxication could be.
Spartan warriors engaged in institutionalized bullying of their helot slave population by forcing them to get blackout drunk in public to show young Spartan…
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Vatican guards aggressively enforce a strict ban on photography and filming inside the Sistine Chapel, constantly shouting at tourists to put their phones away and respect the overwhelming sanctity of the sacred space.
Vatican guards aggressively enforce a strict ban on photography and filming inside the Sistine Chapel, constantly shouting at tourists to put their phones…
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Human skin is completely covered in invisible, alternating stripes and swirling patterns known as Blaschko's lines, which follow the paths of our embryonic cell migration.
Human skin is completely covered in invisible, alternating stripes and swirling patterns known as Blaschko's lines, which follow the paths of our embryonic…
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Naked mole rats are virtually immune to cancer and can survive for almost twenty minutes without oxygen by metabolizing fructose just like a plant.
Naked mole rats are virtually immune to cancer and can survive for almost twenty minutes without oxygen by metabolizing fructose just like a plant. These…
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Medieval doctors commonly diagnosed illnesses by tasting the urine of their patients to check for sweetness, which was an early and deeply disgusting method for detecting diabetes.
Medieval doctors commonly diagnosed illnesses by tasting the urine of their patients to check for sweetness, which was an early and deeply disgusting method…
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Ancient Egyptian workers staged the first recorded labor strike in human history during the reign of Ramses III because the government failed to deliver their monthly ration of garlic and beer.
Ancient Egyptian workers staged the first recorded labor strike in human history during the reign of Ramses III because the government failed to deliver their…
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Motorola engineer Martin Cooper explicitly credited the communicators used by Captain Kirk and his crew in the original 1960s Star Trek television series as the direct…
Motorola engineer Martin Cooper explicitly credited the communicators used by Captain Kirk and his crew in the original 1960s Star Trek television series as…
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Bermuda successfully outlawed McDonald's and practically all other foreign fast-food franchises in 1999, utilizing a strict local law designed to desperately protect the island's…
Bermuda successfully outlawed McDonald's and practically all other foreign fast-food franchises in 1999, utilizing a strict local law designed to desperately…
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Arcade claw machines are not actually tests of spatial awareness or physical dexterity, but rather legally sanctioned gambling devices meticulously programmed by the manufacturer…
Arcade claw machines are not actually tests of spatial awareness or physical dexterity, but rather legally sanctioned gambling devices meticulously programmed…
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Dungeons and Dragons originally included Hobbits, Ents, and Balrogs in its first edition until the estate of J.R.R.
Dungeons and Dragons originally included Hobbits, Ents, and Balrogs in its first edition until the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien threatened to sue the absolute…
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Stop signs used to be painted bright yellow with black lettering because early twentieth-century dye manufacturers literally could not invent a red paint that would not…
Stop signs used to be painted bright yellow with black lettering because early twentieth-century dye manufacturers literally could not invent a red paint that…
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Wedding industry vendors operate on a remarkably blatant form of price gouging known as the 'wedding markup', where they aggressively inflate the exact same services by up to…
Wedding industry vendors operate on a remarkably blatant form of price gouging known as the 'wedding markup', where they aggressively inflate the exact same…
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Planning fallacy is a phenomenon in which predictions about how much time will be needed to complete a future task display an optimism bias and underestimate the time needed,…
Planning fallacy is a phenomenon in which predictions about how much time will be needed to complete a future task display an optimism bias and underestimate…
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Pumbaa from the Lion King holds the distinguished cinematic honor of being the first character to fart on screen in a Disney animated feature.
Pumbaa from the Lion King holds the distinguished cinematic honor of being the first character to fart on screen in a Disney animated feature. Disney…
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Psychological studies suggest that humans overpack for vacations because they suffer from an irrational fear of unexpected scenarios requiring highly specific outfits.
Psychological studies suggest that humans overpack for vacations because they suffer from an irrational fear of unexpected scenarios requiring highly specific…
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Michael Jackson secretly guest-starred in an early episode of The Simpsons as a mental patient who thinks he is Michael Jackson, but his contract stipulated he could only provide…
Michael Jackson secretly guest-starred in an early episode of The Simpsons as a mental patient who thinks he is Michael Jackson, but his contract stipulated…
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Mary Todd Lincoln held multiple seances in the White House during the American Civil War in a desperate, grief-stricken attempt to contact her young son Willie after he died of typhoid fever.
Mary Todd Lincoln held multiple seances in the White House during the American Civil War in a desperate, grief-stricken attempt to contact her young son…
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Cerebral tissue contains exactly zero nociceptors, meaning the human brain is completely incapable of feeling physical pain despite being the very organ responsible for…
Cerebral tissue contains exactly zero nociceptors, meaning the human brain is completely incapable of feeling physical pain despite being the very organ…
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Cartilaginous tissues in your nose and ears never actually stop growing, continuously expanding and drooping toward the floor from the moment you are born until the absolute end of your life.
Cartilaginous tissues in your nose and ears never actually stop growing, continuously expanding and drooping toward the floor from the moment you are born…
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Ewan McGregor frequently had to be reminded by George Lucas to stop making humming lightsaber sound effects with his mouth while filming his fight scenes for the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Ewan McGregor frequently had to be reminded by George Lucas to stop making humming lightsaber sound effects with his mouth while filming his fight scenes for…
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Cleopatra actually lived closer in time to the release of the first iPhone than she did to the construction of the Great Pyramid.
Cleopatra actually lived closer in time to the release of the first iPhone than she did to the construction of the Great Pyramid. Despite being linked in pop…
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Stephen King directed the 1986 film Maximum Overdrive while entirely fueled by a massive cocaine habit, resulting in a movie where a group of survivors is terrorized by sentient, murderous semi-trucks.
Stephen King directed the 1986 film Maximum Overdrive while entirely fueled by a massive cocaine habit, resulting in a movie where a group of survivors is…
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Keyboard spacebars wear out faster on the right side for the vast majority of users because human beings are overwhelmingly right-handed and unconsciously favor that thumb.
Keyboard spacebars wear out faster on the right side for the vast majority of users because human beings are overwhelmingly right-handed and unconsciously…
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London Eye began as a temporary attraction for the new millennium, but it proved so immensely lucrative that the city decided to keep it forever.
London Eye began as a temporary attraction for the new millennium, but it proved so immensely lucrative that the city decided to keep it forever. It is…
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