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TIL Saudi Culture Ministry bought a Leonardo Da Vinci painting for a world-record $450m at an auction in New York. Later, scientific evidence suggested that Da Vinci only made a contribution to the painting, and experts consider that the painting was more likely to have been the work of his studio

Read more theweek.co.uk

via reddit.com

J1QjQ TIL that on Valentine's Day, a group of embittered singles in Shanghai bought up all the odd-numbered seats in the theater, forcing couples to sit apart.
8aEjG TIL of Saleh Ibn Abdul Rahman al-Hussayen, a senior official in Saudi Arabia, who stayed in the same hotel as the 9/11 hijackers the night before the attacks. He feigned a seizure when interviewed by the FBI and flew back to Saudi Arabia after flights resumed, against the FBI’s recommendation.
woKQo TIL that the Fahrenheit scale was standardized 18 years before Celsius. The world switch due to the British Empire. The United States is actually using the earlier standard.
OoG0g TIL that in the game of 8 Ball the 'ball in hand' rule (meaning if the opponent 'scratches' the ball can be placed anywhere on the table) is actually used in professional games. "Which is unlike most amateurs play at home."
OGVmR TIL that a delicacy exists in Inuit culture called Urumiit, which is the feces of the ptarmigan bird