› added 1 year ago

152

TIL that the illustrated wizard on the back cover of first edition of Harry Potter was not any character in the book but a drawing of the illustrator's father. The artist did not know the book would end up being a hit and just drew any random picture instead.

Read more thomastaylor-author.com

via reddit.com

QJDG9 TIL two French explorers lost all the oil in their vehicle while traveling across the Atacama Desert. In order to get home they ended up using crushed bananas as substitute oil.
9wDPB TIL a TV show saved the life of a dying man, who had been denied coverage by an HMO for a pancreas transplant, by staging a mock funeral outside the company's headquarters. The company agreed to pay for the operation a week later.
ne8rr TIL Syphilis was known as the "French disease" in Europe as is rumored to have been conceived in the 15th century after the French army was celebrating a victory in Naples, Italy
gXZb TIL there were seven fabled cities of gold, not just El Dorado
DQpNj TIL that the American Chinese dish “General Tso’s Chicken” is named after Zuo Zongtang, a famed 19th century military leader who helped suppress three different rebellions. However, the chicken dish was invented in New York in the 1970s.