› added 7 years ago

1295

TIL Chess is banned at Russian research stations in Antarctica. This is because, in 1959, 2 scientists at Vostok Station were playing a game of chess, and the loser snapped and murdered his opponent with an axe.

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l7VD7 TIL In 1983, New Order's "Blue Monday" became an international smash hit. However, the record label lost money on the single due to its extravagant design (die-cut and designed to look like a floppy disk). They justified the expense at the time because they didn't think the song would chart.
EgMpp TIL the most popular first name is the world is Maria, with one in every 119 people bearing the name. But coming in third is "Mohammed", which also ranks fifth when spelled "Muhammad," sixth when spelled "Mohamed" and eighth when spelled "Mohammad."
GOxg TIL The reason people believe breaking a mirror brings 7 years of bad luck is due to ancient Romans believing life renewed itself every 7 years and that breaking a mirror would damage one’s self until the next 7 year renewal period.
94Er TIL that in the last 7 years, humanity has discovered 43 potentially habitable planets.
wLpV7 TIL that the Lucky Iron Fish is a fish-shaped cast iron ingot boiled in water to treat iron-deficiency anaemia developed by Canadian health workers in Cambodia in 2008. It was created to prevent villagers from rejecting treatment, as the fish is a symbol of good luck and happiness in their folklore