Small Talk - Micro Learning

Joseph Guillotin, namesake of the guillotine, opposed capital punishment but promoted the device as a more humane alternative to the brutal execution methods of his time when abolition proved impossible.

Source: Smithsonian

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The last letter added to the English alphabet was ‘J’. It was introduced in 1524 by an Italian grammarian named Gian Giorgio Trissino - before that, ‘i’ was used for both the ‘i’ and ‘j’ sounds.

The chainsaw was originally invented to assist in childbirth - specifically, to cut through the pelvic bone during obstructed labour.

Studies have found that loneliness can increase the risk of early death as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day - and may be more harmful than obesity.

Male penguins collect small stones to offer as gifts during courtship. If the female rejects the stone, the male tries again - with a new pebble or a new penguin.

The record for most live births at once is nine. Halima Cissé from Mali gave birth to nonuplets - five girls and four boys - in Morocco in 2021.

The word 'hello' first appeared in writing in 1826, but wasn’t used as a greeting until 1877 - when it became the standard way to answer the telephone.

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