oR00R TIL the toast is called the toast because ancient Romans put scorched bread (Latin "tostus") into their wine to help with the excessive acidity.
dDgg8 TIL the 1999 multiple-platinum selling album "Play" by Moby was initially a failure with poor sales and little airplay. The first show to support the album was attended by about 40 people only. Not until the songs were licensed to films, TV shows and commercials that the album became a smash hit.
KY116 TIL that from 1950-1962, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer had a comic book series published by DC Comics.
a8bmZ TIL the summit of Mt Everest is not the furthest point from the center of the Earth. That honor goes to Mt Chimborazo even though it is 2,480 meters lower in elevation. This is due to the oblong shape of the Earth.
ZpboB TIL I learned that the German Army during WW1 built an electric fence ('Wire of Death') to stop Belgian refugees reaching neutral Holland. The fence was approximately 200km long. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people were electrocuted trying to cross the fence between 1915 and 1918.
786d7 TIL that the famous 1996 “ET de Varginha” sighting in Brazil was officially explained as three girls mistaking a homeless man for an alien.
kJbXm TIL Japan shut itself off from the world (Sakoku) for over 200 years, only opening up after U.S. warships forced them in 1853
Eg7Rw TIL When the movie Clue was released, theaters received the film with one of three endings.
Y7bdA TIL Tom Hanks won back‑to‑back Best Actor Oscars for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump—one of only two actors ever to do it.
BgYnk TIL the weird font used at the bottom of checks (called E-13B) is designed with a different amount of ink in each character so that the text can be read magnetically.
rNbro Today I learned that when David Lee Roth left Van Halen, Eddie's first choice to replace him was Patty Smyth.
NXJlJ TIL that before rising to fame, Shania Twain was singing in bars at age 8 to help pay family bills, often performing until 1 a.m. for tips. After her parents' tragic death in 1987, she became the legal guardian of her younger siblings, putting her career on hold.