› added 5 months ago

18

TIL there's a degenerative brain disorder called fatal familial insomnia (FFI) that causes a person to lose the ability to sleep and eventually die

Read more my.clevelandclinic.org

via reddit.com

QN4B9 TIL that Wangari Maathai became the first Black woman to win the 2004 Nobel Peace for her environmental work in Kenya. She was also the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree.
Bga9W TIL Dutch is the official language of government, business and education in the South American country of Suriname.
KOJAQ TIL Michelangelo and Leonardo were actually commissioned to paint frescos in the same room on opposite walls and it was to be Florence's premier "event" at the time. They hated each other, bickered, and neither every actually completed their work.
vPeVD TIL a British drinking song, called "Anacreon in Heaven" was originally written for a 18th century Masonic club. The tune was later lifted by Francis Scott Key and merged with the poem "Defense of Fort McHenry" to become "The Star Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States.
4kBQg TIL the song 'Weapon of Choice' by Fatboy Slim (2001) has the lyrics 'Walk without Rhythm, it won't attract the worm' which is a quote from Frank Herbert's Dune (1965). The music video features a dancing Christopher Walken who would later join the cast of the Dune Part II (2024).