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604

TIL the Hollywood sign used to say Hollywoodland

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j614M TIL the word horseradish came about because the English misunderstood the German word “meerrettich” which means "sea radish". The word "meer" was swapped to "mare" (a female horse) even though the plant has absolutely nothing to do with horses, it just grows well by the sea.
m4px TIL that the Nazi party tried to turn Christmas into a nonreligious holiday celebrating the coming of Hitler, with Saint Nicholas replaced by Odin the “Solstice Man” and swastikas on top of Christmas trees.
VBGaZ TIL about the Academy Juvenile award, an Oscar that was given until 1961 to performers under 18 years old for their contributions to film. The trophy was half the size of the standard Oscar trophy and had such honorees as Shirley Temple, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney.
4kROa TIL about the 18th century sculptor Franz Xaver Messerschmidt and his Character Heads. He sought to capture the 64 grimaces of human expression in the sculptures and believed the work angered “the Spirit of Proportion”.
worZ6 TIL that "Crystal Glass" is refractive because it's made with Lead Oxide.