› added 10 years ago

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TIL the first ever selfie was taken by Robert Cornelius, an amateur chemist and photography enthusiast from Philadelphia, in 1839. On the back he wrote “The first light Picture ever taken. 1839.”

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NkYM TIL that in 5,000 years of human history, only 2 diseases have been eradicated: smallpox and rinderpest
BrxMr TiL : A Swedish couple won the right to name their children Metallica, Lego, and Elvis in 2008 due to Swedish naming laws preventing embarrassing names for children, a similar case failed in 1996 when a couple tried to name their child Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 (pronounced Albis)
4b4a TIL that when Neil deGrasse Tyson first saw the stars come out at the planetarium at 9 years old, he thought it was a hoax. Growing up in the Bronx, he’d never seen the stars before due to light pollution.
4X5Rw TIL the colour for the #1 song "Blue" by Eiffel 65 was picked at random and the lead singer was told to write nonsensical lyrics
mx6jv TIL the vocal effect used in the song Zombie by the Cranberries is known as 'keening'. This is a wailing sound used in Ireland to mourn the dead at funerals.