› added 11 years ago

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TIL that creative professions, particularly creative writing, have a strong correlation with mental illnesses: authors are 50% more likely to commit suicide than the general population.

loXn1 TIL that Disney’s “Baymax” character design was inspired by Chris Atkeson’s pioneer work in soft robotics. His research in Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute is based on a theory: “For robots to effectively operate in our world, they’re going to have to be as squishy as we are”.
x6OB0 TIL that several people have been caught cheating on game shows throughout history. One of the most notable cases involved Charles Ingram, who cheated his way to winning the jackpot on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" by having an accomplice cough to indicate the correct answer.
vlkx TIL in the ‘80s, Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth took out a $1 million paternity insurance policy. This protected him against any claims from overzealous fans that he had fathered their child.
NX66P TIL - the word "Scapegoat" meaning a person who is innocent and is punished for the actions of others, refers to a historical ritual of taking two goats, symbolically placing sins and impurities upon one, then releasing it into the wild, and sacrificing the other.
P1Axw TIL at the 1908 Olympics, in the hockey tournament, Great Britian officially won all the medals - Gold, Silver and Bronze. England won Gold, Ireland won Silver and Scotland and Wales won Bronze. These medals are however credited to Britain's tally.