› added 13 years ago

446

TIL David Bowie turned down knighthood

Read more mentalfloss.com

via reddit.com

Na56 TIL Wilt Chamberlain once challenged Muhammad Ali to a boxing match. Wilt was a foot taller and 60 pounds heavier with a huge reach. During a joint press conference, Ali answered every question with “Timberrrrr!” After breaking to meet with his lawyers, Wilt returned and called the fight off.
j649Q TIL that in 1999, an artist named Michael Heizer created a massive sculpture called "City" in the Nevada desert. It's a monumental earthwork sculpture that spans over 1.5 miles and includes various geometric shapes and structures.
x7mo TIL J.J. Thomson won the Nobel in Physics (1906) when he showed electrons were particles. His son won it in 1937 for showing that electrons are waves.
gr8WD TIL of the Groom of the Stool. A person who was responsible for assisting the king in excretion and hygiene.
e0KBg TIL that one of history's most successful pirates was a Chinese prostitute named Ching Shih. She commanded a fleet of over 1,500 ships and 80,000 sailors.