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TIL Saint Francis of Assisi believed that nature itself was the mirror of God. He called all creatures his "brothers" and "sisters", and even preached to the birds.

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Mele0 TIL about Tom Sachs. An autistic NYC-based sculptor who, when needing money, would use his art tools and scraps to make crude improvised firearms in his studio to sell in the NYPD Buyback programs for up to $300 apiece.
GY4rj TIL that sunglasses were invented originally in 12th century China so that judges could conceal their eyes while interrogating witnesses.
5YkmQ TIL Telfar Clemens, the owner of the Telfar clothing brand, redesigned the uniforms for the White Castle fast food chain and dedicated the earnings to bailing out youths from Ryker's Island prison.
1aLXD TIL the proverb, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings," derives from the traditionally buxom Valkyrie Brünnhilde from Wagner's Götterdämmerung opera. Her farewell song before the end of the world lasts almost twenty minutes and leads to the finale of the whole Ring Cycle of operas by Wagner.
v1jK7 TIL that a Concorde supersonic airliner was once painted bright blue in Pepsi livery to promote the soda company's new logo. It had to slow down in flight so that the blue paint didn't overheat from air friction.