› added 3 years ago

468

TIL the phrase "in the limelight" which refers to being the focus of attention comes from a 19th century device. Calcium oxide known as quicklime is heated in an intensely hot flame until it glows brightly. First as a surveying tool, it allowed for more accurate measurements.

1ajx4 TIL In the popular American animated television series "Dexter's Laboratory", the lead character Dexter the genius boy was voiced by two Female voice artists : Christine Cavanaugh in seasons 1–3 and Candi Milo in seasons 3–4.
gMJbW TIL the Methuselah Tree, named after the Biblical figure who was said to live 969 years, is a nearly 5,000-year-old bristlecone pine near Death Valley believed to be the second-oldest tree on earth.
Wkj0d TIL about SS Baychimo, a Swedish built 1,322 ton cargo steam-ship that was left abandoned by its crew in 1931 due to fear of sinking. Surprisingly, Baychimo did not sink, but instead drifted around as a ghost ship for nearly 40 years without a crew, she was last seen in 1969.
wLQY6 TIL that Michelangelo hid under the Medici Chapel in Florence for 3 months during a period of political turmoil, occupying his time by sketching on the walls with charcoal. His whereabouts were a secret for almost 500 years until the museum director stumbled upon the drawings in 1976.
bpDE TIL that there’s a stinging tree called the Gympie Gympie that produces a toxin so painful, it’s driven people and animals to suicide. It’s been described as being sprayed with hot acid and electrocuted at the same time. A man was reported to have shot himself after using the tree as toilet paper.