› added 12 years ago

342

TIL David Bowie turned down knighthood

Read more mentalfloss.com

via reddit.com

9YpY6 TIL the verb 'to snipe' originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India where hunter skilled enough to kill a particularly elusive bird, the snipe, were called 'snipers'. This is also the origin of the term 'snipe hunt' to describe an impossible task.
gAZW TIL that Liverpool was once the “Second City of The British Empire” and for periods in the 19th century its wealth even eclipsed that of London.
awGDy TIL of a sea sponge that has a skeleton made of glass which has better strength, flexibility and fracture resistance than manufactured optic fibre.
68Xw TIL that “Fancy” ketchup refers to its specific gravity
JYkjk TIL that Argentina and Chile sent pregnant women to Antarctica to have their babies there. All to strengthen their claim on the continent.