› added 10 years ago

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TIL an Indian rationalist was accused of blasphemy and had to flee the country after he proved that the “miracle” tears coming from a Jesus statue actually came from clogged drainage pipes.

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EgDpp TIL that the Wright Brothers' first patent wasn't for their airplane. It was for the system of controls they built to control their airplane.
BgKLk TIL that the second most expensive painting ever sold was ‘Interchange’, an oil by abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning. In 1955 the artist sold it for $40,000, and 60 years later it sold for $300M.
v1pYL TIL during the film production of Apollo 13, producers originally wanted Kevin Costner to play as Jim Lovell due to his facial similarities with the main character. Instead, Tom Hanks was cast because he was a big fan of Apollo and space histories.
jNEyj TIL of Benjamin Lay, an 18th century Quaker dwarf with a hunchback who challenged the ideas of slavery, meat-eating, and racism. He also lived in a cave with his wife. (There is truly a lid for every pot.)
e00dE University researchers trained sheep to recognise famous people, including Barack Obama and Fiona Bruce.