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TIL The word “silhouette” derives from Étienne de Silhouette, French finance minister, whom imposed severe economic demands upon the French. Prior to the advent of photography, profiles cut from black card were the cheapest way of recording a person’s appearance. Therefore, the connection.

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NyW1 TIL Mr. T Stopped Wearing His Trademark Gold Jewelry Because of His Experience Helping People After Hurricane Katrina “I felt it would be insensitive and disrespectful to the people who lost everything, so I stopped wearing my gold.”
oRByL TIL that the Battle of the Bulge marked the first time the U.S. Army desegregated troops during WWII.
Oo0kR TIL Pikachu was chosen as the Pokemon mascot in the last stage of development it was supposed to be Clefairy. Because GameFreak apparently felt that Clefairy would appeal only to girls while Pikachu would appeal to everyone.
j66Rn TIL United Airlines once forgot to escort a blind woman off the plane, despite assuring her they would. While waiting, she suddenly heard the plane's door seal shut: "And then, just complete silence. And I started calling out with no response." She was later saved by the maintenance crew.
R7nK9 TIL the Guinness Book of World Records has vehemently refused to validate any attempt at the world record for the longest time spent awake, believing that it's dangerous to human health. The current record is 264 hours or around 11 days, which was set by a high school student as a science project