› added 11 months ago

42

TIL that in the name of the element "Helium", the "-ium" prefix is typically only applied to metals, but the astronomer who discovered it & coined the name wasn't aware of the naming convention

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JYj14 TIL that old, weak, malnourished whales will simply sink, unable to reach the surface and suffocate to death...
p5pp TIL that the Beastie Boys coined the term “mullet” to refer to a hairstyle in 1994 in their song “Mullet Head”. No earlier use of the term “mullet” that refers to a hairstyle has been found.
VMr8p TIL that more than 1 in 200 Americans is missing a limb.
OWML TIL that in Japan people don’t give up their seat to the elderly on public transportation because it is seen as a sign of disrespect.
ZpwPB TIL Pirates wore eye patches to increase their night vision, not to cover a missing eye.