› added 12 years ago

342

TIL There is an animal that looks and acts like a rock with a red fleshy inside.

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j65Rn TIL about Dr. Benjamin Rush who provided the Corps of Discovery with 600 "Dr. Rush's Bilious Pills," powerful laxatives containing 50% mercury, colloquially called "thunderclappers." The high mercury content provided a tracer that has allowed the Corps' campsites to be identified via soil testing.
kORxm TIL - In June of 2017, the helmet worn by Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet in Spaceballs sold for $39K at a Hollywood memorabilia auction. Also sold at this auction, the light up dance floor from Saturday Night Fever ($1.2M) and R2-D2 from Star Wars ($2.76M)
m18Jy TIL that Pokemon Gold and Silver have a well hidden function where the player can decorate their starting bedroom. The decorations are dolls, game consoles, carpets, beds, and so on. Almost all of the decorations can only be found by using the Mystery Gift feature.
9wrGp TIL in 2015 30-70% of all internet traffic in India was estimated to be pornography, despite it being ostensibly illegal
78bE7 TIL that the Aztecs, who lived on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco, would consume a particular type of fly as a staple high protein food source. The water fly, called ahuautle, was eaten in tortillas, toasted, and mashed into baked cakes.