› added 11 years ago

102

TIL that literacy in North Korea is measured by their ability to write the name of their Dear Leader.

Read more reddit.com

via reddit.com

ReL6 TIL that Andrew Jackson’s political opponents referred to him as jackass. He adopted the name and used it as his campaign symbol. It would eventually become the symbol of the entire Democratic Party
NaY8 TIL that the Netherlands voted “Swaffelen” as their word of the year in 2008. It means to repeatedly smack one’s penis against someone or something.
KOM59 TIL that "having the guts to fight" used to mean soldiers being diarrhea-free, and thus able to participate in battle
MeZ90 TIL that California is named after a fictitious island described in a series of 16th century Spanish romance novels. The island was described as being inhabited by beautiful black women who wore gold armor and fought alongside Muslims
d8jZ8 TIL the earliest concept of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack did not include Bee Gees songs, but the band ultimately decided to contribute and wrote songs for the film "virtually in a single weekend".