› added 2 years ago

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TIL that the idea that low-alcohol beer was consumed more commonly than water during medieval times is a myth. Water was cheaper than beer, and towns/villages were built close to sources of fresh water such as rivers, springs, and wells to facilitate easy access to the resource.

vo6j TIL After complaints about baggage wait times, Houston airport moved the baggage claim farther away. The walk took longer than the wait and the complaints dropped to nearly zero.
R5e09 TIL that the children’s choir in “Another Brick in the Wall, pt. 2” was recorded by Pink Floyd’s producer and engineer without the band’s knowledge. The children were paid with concert tickets, an album and a single; only decades later did they file a claim to receive royalties.
LkdrV TIL about the Sacred Band of Thebes, which was a company of 150 pairs of homosexual lovers, who were considered amongst the most elite soldiers of their time.
5Vnok TIL that between 1983 and 2004, NBC ran 2 hours of comedy programming every Thursday night, known as "Must See TV". The lineup included some of the most iconic comedies of all time, such as Frasier, Seinfeld, Friends, and Will & Grace. They placed 1st almost every week. They now rank 4th.
W7rJL TIL a typical elephant tusk contains enough ivory to create 8 billiard balls. In the 1800s, demand for ivory was such that an award was offered for the development of an alternative. The first patent for an ivory-substitute was filed in 1867; it was used to make billiard balls through the 1960s.