› added 10 years ago

128

TIL Edward Jenner, the father of the smallpox vaccine, proved that swifts don’t hibernate in lakes by holding one underwater for two minutes. It drowned.

Read more books.google.com.au

via reddit.com

VaGk TIL: Robin Williams took a huge pay cut to voice the Genie in Aladdin, if certain conditions were adhered to. Disney reneged on the promise and later apologised to him with the gift of a Picasso painting.
p8Gne TIL that in 1901, a doctor was told mid-surgery that he was needed urgently elsewhere, to which he responded that he could not leave "even for the President of the United States". He was then told he needed to operate on William McKinley, the President of the United States.
7rOrL TIL that even though the melody of "Happy Birthday to You" was created in 1893, and none of the early printed appearances of the melody and lyrics stated a copyright notice, Warner/Chappell Music managed to keep the song out of the public domain until a court ruling in 2016.
19Md TIL in the UK the gov’t funds a service which you can notify about a person sleeping rough during winter, and they will find that person and arrange a bed for the night.
ZX44 TIL a black belt only indicates about a “bachelors degree” of mastery in most martial arts disciplines