› added 8 months ago

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TIL that there is a Disney Professor of Archaeology at Cambridge, named for its benefactor, antiquarian John Disney.

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rRAB4 TIL bumblebees are capable of flying at altitudes much higher than Mount Everest. Two bumblebees were placed inside a plexiglass chamber and were able to reach a simulated altitude of 29,525 ft with air pressure being reduced. The chamber kept breaking before the bumblebees stopped flying.
X9ZX TIL that in 1972 John Wojtowicz attempted to rob a bank in Brooklyn after being inspired by Al Pacino’s performance in ‘The Godfather’, only to be portrayed by Al Pacino himself in 1975’s 'Dog Day Afternoon’
l78Qa TIL when it was deemed impossible to shoot the tanker fight in The Spy Who Loved Me on an actual supertanker and no other soundstage would fit the set, Albert R Broccoli commissioned the 007 Stage, the biggest in the world at the time.
Q8dE TIL: Lions with black manes are alpha males. A dark-maned lion’s testosterone levels are higher than the levels in other males, his cubs are more likely to survive, and he is more likely to recover from wounds. Lionesses prefer a dark-maned mate.
Br7De TIL that in 1777 Thomas Jefferson drafted the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom. When it was enacted, religious freedom was guaranteed to all persons, including Muslims, Jews, and Hindus. In addition it also was one of three things listed on Jefferson's grave.