› added 10 years ago

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TIL that Scarlett Johansson was asked by Oxfam (for whom she was a global ambassador) to stop supporting SodaStream in Israel (which had built illegal settlements in Palestine). She chose to leave Oxfam and do a SuperBowl advert for SodaStream instead.

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Z8NZB TIL about the hunter-gatherer practice of "Insulting the Meat." To keep the best hunters from thinking themselves above the rest of the tribe, Ju/’hoan people insult the quality of the meat and lightheartedly mock the hunter who brought the animal down. The bigger the kill, the greater the insults.
NXmyQ TIL that John Rae, aided by the inuit, discovered that Franklin's lost Arctic expedition had starved to death and committed cannibalism. When Rae reported this the British public refused to believe their sailors could resort to such acts, with Rae being condemn as a idiot for believing the inuit.
9BjM TIL that in 1994 a 17 yr old boy used radioactive material from homemade items like clocks to build himself a nuclear reactor. Although it never came anywhere near reaching critical mass, it ended up emitting dangerous levels of radiation, likely over 1,000 times normal background radiation.
9wJDD TIL that the Mary Celeste was found adrift with the crew and one life boat missing. Food, alcohol and personal items were undisturbed. The crew were never found.
8aX7a TIL When Charles II died he had no legitimate heirs, but he did have several illegitimate children. Two of those children were ancestors of Princess Diana, so when William becomes king, he will be the first descendant of Charles II to take the throne.