› added 5 years ago

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TIL that like all major Disney characters, Mickey Mouse is not only copyrighted but also trademarked, which lasts in perpetuity as long as it continues to be used commercially by its owner. So, whether or not a particular Disney cartoon goes into the public domain, the characters may not be used.

WAlL TIL Viruses sometimes got lucky enough to copy themselves into an egg that became fertilized and grew into a full-fledged adult. So that viral DNA got passed down from generation to human generation as so-called endogenous retroviruses
ADaE7 TIL that it has been argued that the "rib" (צְלָעֹת ṣela‘, also translated "flank" or "side") in the story of Adam and Eve is actually a mistranslation of a Biblical Hebrew euphemism for baculum, a bone found in the penis of many placental mammals but that is absent in the human penis.
9w6VX TIL: In 2010, New Jersey lost $400 million in federal education reform money due to submitting data from the wrong school year. This lost them 4.8 points, making them fall 3 points short of receiving federal aid which went to Ohio instead. People have called this a "stunning $400 million mistake"
GYK6E TIL about a hip hop duo called Milli Vanilli, whose vocals were entirely recorded by other people. In 1990, the group won a Grammy for Best New Artist but had it revoked after the truth was uncovered. The frontmen of the duo later said that they were duped into the hoax by their producer.
XdWr TIL it took a judge’s ruling to settle an argument whether Snuggies are blankets or clothes (Because blankets and clothes are taxed differently)