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TIL: The Codex Leicester, a collection of largely scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci, holds the record for the sale price of any book. It was sold to Bill Gates for $US30,802,500.

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D1n5Y TIL Einstein married his first cousin, Elsa Löwenthal. (Not only were their mothers sisters, but their fathers were cousins too, making the married couple second cousins as well.) The relationship began while Einstein was still married to his first wife, physicist Mileva Marić.
N7nJJ TIL that the phrase 'Until the Bitter End' comes from the frame that a ships anchor was connected to (the bitts), so the 'bitter end' was the last bit of rope that attached it to the ship. This was designed to break and release the anchor if it was in free fall to stop it ripping out the ships deck.
R74Va TIL the most famous sound effect from the cartoon series Tom and Jerry -- Tom's leather-lunged scream -- was created by recording Hanna's scream and eliminating the beginning and ending of the recording, leaving only the strongest part of the scream on the soundtrack.
dPM9 TIL Due to the limitations of arcade hardware in 1981, Mario was clothed in red overalls and blue shirt to contrast his arms, body, and background. The cap was added to avoid drawing his hairstyle, forehead, and eyebrows. The large nose and mustache avoided the need to draw a mouth and expressions
R7Ae8 TIL Bob Dylan wrote a tribute song for John Lennon in 2012, inspired after going on a public bus tour of Lennon's childhood home years earlier; none of the other tourists apparently recognized who he was