› added 11 years ago

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TIL when the Bible was translated into American English, homosexuality was still considered a perverse disorder. It was with this mindset that the translators interpreted the Greek word ‘arsenkoitai’ for a homosexual, even though theologists have argued the word is way more likely to mean molester.

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7r0MM TIL the ponds that are common in residential neighborhoods are not installed as water features, they’re actually retention basins used to offset the drainage capacity of the ground removed by paving roads and building houses
ZpavY TIL: "Gutter Oil" street food vendors and low tier restaurants in China and few in Vietnam would gather the cooking oil that ends up in the sewer, get rid of most of the impurities, and reuse again as they can't afford new cooking oil. It reportedly tastes the same.
5VgAn TIL that the prop money made for Rush Hour 2 was so realistic some crew members attempted to spend it. The money - which, if real, would be about $1 trillion - was then confiscated and destroyed by the FBI.
4b0X TIL during the Siege of Baghdad, The Grand Library of Baghdad, containing countless precious historical documents and books on subjects from medicine to astronomy, was destroyed along with the House of Wisdom. The Tigris waters ran black with ink from the big quantities of books flung into the river
wbk8 TIL Harold Williams a 20th Century Linguist and Journalist spoke 58 languages and learnt Serbian in two days. He amazed delegates at the League of Nations by speaking to each in their own language.