› added 1 year ago

59

TIL The common electric eel, electrophorus electricus, is not actually an eel, but a type of knifefish. Their shape evolved independently of true eels.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

ADZm7 TIL Elvis Presley met with Richard Nixon. He wanted to get a badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs because with it “he [believed he] could legally enter any country... carrying any drugs he wished.” After denouncing America's drug culture to the President, the King got his wish.
yQOew TIL - It took more than 24 years for the radioactivity from the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant accident to clear from Scotland's sheep herds.
xGpg TIL Betty White is a huge animal lover who would have become a zookeeper had she not gone into acting. She rejected a role in “As Good As It Gets” because of an animal cruelty scene, she visits local zoos when traveling, and she’s been a long-term board member and generous donor to the L.A. Zoo.
Bg7de TIL that British members of parliament are not allowed to resign their seats. To get around this, they're appointed to one of two "office[s] of profit under the Crown". Since MPs aren't allowed to hold those positions, this automatically disqualifies them from sitting in parliament.
jNDZj TIL Bruce Willis sabotaged the production of one of his films so badly that it was scrapped after 20 days costing Disney Studios millions. To avoid legal action he made three films for them at a fraction of his normal fee. The films (Armageddon, The Sixth Sense and The Kid) grossed $1.2bn worldwide.