› added 4 years ago

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TIL about Henry VIII's "eavesdrop" figures: he has creepy statues built onto ceiling beams to warn against gossip or dissension and foster paranoia

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via reddit.com

oRM5r TIL that "Lucifer" originally referred to a personified aspect of the planet Venus, and only acquired its current religious connotation when the Hebrew Book of Isaiah equated the king of Babylon with said Venusian aspect
kVG5 TIL Grapes always become wine when pressed. It wasn’t until 1869 that physician Thomas Welch created a way to stop the fermentation. He later founded Welch’s Grape Juice.
v1eKx TIL neither of the Wright Brothers married. Wilbur Wright once quipped "I do not have time for both a wife and an airplane."
OdER TIL that due to budget issues, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was briefly planned as one film. Helm’s Deep and Saruman were cut, Rohan and Gondor merged with Éowyn as Boromir’s sister, etc. Upset by the idea of “cutting out half the good stuff,” Peter Jackson left Miramax and went to New Line Cinema.
9d86 TIL there are 45 different types of gas produced in the USA significantly reducing efficiency and raising the price at the pump.