› added 6 years ago

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TIL that the dog breed St. Bernards were originally known as Barry Hounds, after a dog named Barry who lived at the St. Bernard hospice in the 1800s. Barry saved 40 people in the nearby mountains, and the hospice has always maintained one dog named Barry in his honor.

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mxJQy TIL Butterflies were around on Earth 70 million years before flowers
aVJ TIL that Jake Lloyd (Anakin Skywalker from The Phantom Menace) retired from acting at a young age because he was constantly made fun of at school for his role in the film. He also destroyed all of his Star Wars memorabilia and refuses to re-watch Episode 1.
EgGYV TIL that most hotel rooms in the USA do not have ceiling lights. This is done mostly for cost reasons. Money is saved by not having to run wire to a ceiling box, drywall around it and then install the overhead light itself.
BrRVL TIL at Gettysburg a Union regiment sacrificed itself by charging into a Confederate force which outnumbered them 5 to 1. They suffered 82% casualties in 5 minutes, including the commander. However they managed to buy time for Union forces to set up defensive positions that stopped Pickett's charge.
9Yl4D TIL Caribbean Sperm Whales have regional accents and dialects, and tend to associate only with other whales that have the same "culture" as they do.