› added 3 years ago

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TIL that the most successful hunter in the animal kingdom is the dragon fly which catches 95% of the prey it pursues (compared to owls, hawks, and falcons 25% success rate). This is due to an impressive suite of evolved adaptations that have remained largely unchanged since the Permian age.

rRoee TIL: British pub names are derived from the picture chosen for the pub. Back in the old days most of their customers were illiterate and could only recognise a pub by its picture.
OGZma TIL that the rapper Shyne, famous for going to jail as part of Diddy's posse as well as writing for many famous artists, converted to Orthodox Judaism in prison, moved to Jerusalem to study the torah up to 12 hours a day, and now has become a politician and leader of the opposition party in Belize.
R7R64 The first modern crematory was built in the U.S. in 1876. A second came eight years later. By 1900, there were 20. The practice got another boost in 1963 when the Catholic Church reversed its opinion on cremation during the Vatican II reforms and said cremation was permitted (though ash scattering was not). Four decades ago, less than 5 percent of American were cremated when they died. Now that figure stands at nearly half.
Y66v TIL that Steven Spielberg made the Indiana Jones movies as revenge for being rejected from directing a James Bond movie.
woZo6 TIL that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital was founded by a comedian. He was struggling financially and vowed that if he ever became successful, he’d build a shrine to the patron saint of hopeless causes.