› added 9 years ago

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TIL: The Acanthopis snake is known as the Death Adder but that name is, somewhat ironically, a mishearing of the original name ‘Deaf Adder’ which comes from the fact that, unlike other snakes, they do not run away from human disturbance.

rOad TIL people believed that sufferers of Williams Syndrome, who have charming & extraordinarily kind personalities, had extraordinary, even magical powers. The word ‘elfin’ was used to describe their facial features. This is believed to be the origin of elves, fairies & 'wee folk’ in English folklore.
1y1V TIL when Chris Pratt’s wrestling coach asked what he wished to do with his life he responded with ‘I don’t know, but I know I’ll be famous and I know I’ll make a shit ton of money.’
Ypv0r TIL Rita Moreno is one of the few artists to have won all four major annual American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and a Tony. She is also one of 23 people who have achieved what is called the Triple Crown of Acting, with individual competitive Academy, Emmy and Tony awards for acting.
9YpxM TIL that toward the end of his career, acclaimed film director Sam Peckinpah, whose work includes The Wild Bunch, Ride the High Country, and Straw Dogs, was so desperate for money as a result of his drug habit that he agreed to direct a movie based on the 1975 trucker novelty song "Convoy."
wLJEE TIL the I-710 freeway in Los Angeles was never finished because of opposition by residents in South Pasadena