› added 4 years ago

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TIL the period in China from the 18th Century to the end of the WWII, where the nation was dominated by foreign powers, is referred to as "the century of shame and humiliation."

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Q1A6 TIL when ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic asked Kurt Cobain for permission to parody Smells Like Teen Spirit, Cobain first reaction was to ask, “Is it going to be a song about food?”
grOQ4 TIL in 1962 a General Electric engineer named Nick Holonyak developed the first LED light bulb capable of emitting visible red light. The same bulb was used in the 1964 stop animation animated TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for Rudolph’s bioluminescent nose.
x6apB TIL Sir Peter Jackson owns a version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang used in the film and the car is fully driveable.
45n5 TIL spectators at Roman circuses divided themselves into four color-themed teams, the Reds, the Whites, the Greens, and the Blues, each of which attracted fanatical support. During one riot, 30000 Greens and Blues were massacred in a single day.
ADKV4 TIL Family Video still operates over 500 stores in the US and Canada. They own the real estate where their stores are located and they own all of the media they rent out so they keep all of the profits. This is why they were able to outlast other video rental businesses like Blockbuster.