› added 2 years ago

76

TIL George Lucas’s dog, an Alaskan malamute named Indiana, was often taken by the Lucases on car drives and called their ‘furry copilot’. He was an inspiration for Chewbacca and the source of Indiana Jones’ name.

R7n0j Humpback whales are far better known for their bellowing "songs" that can travel up to six miles, but the animals also have quiet voices. Biologists have observed humpback calves “whispering” to their mothers in tones that can be heard only within 330 feet—a strategy to prevent predators, such as orcas, from eavesdropping. Calves also want to avoid adult male humpbacks, which may try to separate the calf from its mother to mate. This shortened time with its mom could ultimately weaken the calf, which needs to drink 50 gallons of milk a day to fuel up for its long migration.
5YGbQ TIL Kareem Abdul-Jabbar asked for $5k more than the $30k he was offered to be in Airplane! just so he could buy an Oriental rug he had his eye on.
oRgxr TIL of the "Underground Great Wall of China", a 3000 mile long tunnel system used to transport ICBMs between silos.
4XK0g TIL In 1100, The skull of Pope Lucius I was beheld as a national relic in Denmark, for bringing peace to the city of Roskilde, by protecting it from Demons. He was then put on display with a petrified embryo and revered. Recent carbon dating has uncovered that the skull isn't his.
PYn9V TIL In 1942, the Nazis cracked the algorithm for the serial numbers and rag content of British Pound notes. Using prisoners with counterfeiting skills, near perfect bills were produced with the plan to scatter them over England by air to induce hyperinflation and collapse the economy.