› added 5 years ago

713

TIL Wild tigers never lived in Africa. As part of the Felidae family (lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, etc), these cats share a common ancestor that originated from Africa. A common theory is that one branch of this family migrated to Asia nearly 2 million years ago, evolving into tigers.

Gr0E TIL that as a protest, a UK voter drew a large penis on his ballot paper next to a candidate’s name. But as the rules simply state “make a mark next to the candidate of your choice” it counted as an official vote.
xVG4o TIL Jesse Owens broke three world records and tied a fourth, all in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a feat never equalled since, and called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport". Owens went on to win four golds at Berlin the following year.
x6yBk TIL Paper marbling is the Eastern art of floating colours on aqueous solutions and was employed in 1695 by the Bank of England to make banknotes to prevent their counterfeiting. They were forged mere weeks later by infamous counterfeit coiner William Chaloner.
YpGxB TIL blond hair among the dark-skinned indigenous people of the Solomon Islands is caused by homegrown genetic variants distinct from the gene that leads to blond hair in Europeans.
wR4E TIL: J.R.R. Tolkien began writing a sequel to “The Lord of the Rings” called “The New Shadow”, however he abandoned the new book as it was too sinister and depressing being set during the age of men.