› added 9 years ago

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TIL one reason that you so often see people holding fans in ancient Japanese paintings/art is because the fan was a common self defense weapon. It had a metal rod inside, and there is an entire martial art dedicated to fighting with the fan.

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pYyK8 TIL of TOTO (TOtable Tornado Observatory), a white metal barrel, weighing 250-350 pounds. TOTO would be tipped into a vertical position & swiveled so certain side faced north (for accurate wind direction readings). The closest TOTO deployment to a tornado was on 29 April 1984 near Ardmore OK.
p8MwZ TIL that George Harrison was sued for $1.6 million for subconsciously copying The Chiffons “He’s So Fine”. This action would cause Harrison to become paranoid when writing songs.
695aW TIL that there has not been a video game released with an Adults Only ESRB rating in 8 years, and there have only been 26 released AO games in history
69oVl TIL Macho Man Randy Savage played minor league baseball for years before moving on to wrestling
6EKNY TIL that in the 1904 Olympics marathon various competitors were high and/or mildly poisoned, a competitor came out in 4th after stopping to eat apples and take a nap, and the first black African to compete in the Olympic games ran 2 kilometers out of the course because he was being chased by dogs.