› added 5 years ago

77

TIL The Canary Islands are named after dogs, not birds.

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xnD1 TIL Although violet and purple look very similar, violet is a true color with its own set of wavelengths on the spectrum of visible light, while purple is a composite color made by combining blue and red
5Y81Q TIL the Chinese phrase 日本鬼子 - Rìběn guǐzi, meaning "Japanese Devils" can be pronounced in Japanese as Hinomoto Oniko, which resembles a girl's name. Consequently, users of the Japanese imageboard 2channel created an anime character for the phrase.
N7nOP TIL the word Turquoise actually comes from the French "turquois" meaning "Turkish", as the stones were traditionally imported from Turkey.
oBkpR TIL: The Great Pyramid was once encased in limestone and would have appeared perfectly smooth and blindingly white.
pQZp TIL Swedish millionaire Johan Eliasch purchased 400,000 acres of the Amazon Rainforest from a logging company for $14,000,000 for the sole purpose of its preservation.