› added 8 years ago

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TIL due to a trademark by Guinness, the Irish government had to turn the official state symbol, the harp, the other way around

Read more wirestrungharp.com

via reddit.com

0ADL TIL children born in Iceland to Icelandic women and American or British servicemen were often given the last name Hansson meaning “his son” as their fathers were either unknown or had left Iceland.
xVbWB TIL a Texas professor failed his entire class and quit, because he thought that all of his students were disruptive or dishonest and therefore didn’t deserve to pass the course. He said the class was his worst in his 20 years of teaching.
LxdP TIL the sign language for Hitler is making a moustache with two fingers and raising your right hand.
BrgDr TIL gender can now be determined from the concentration of amino acids in a fingerprint (levels are significantly higher in the sweat of women than that of men). The testing method can be performed at the crime scene and works in a manner similar to pregnancy strips or glucose meters.
Z8Yr4 TIL: In 2009, a researcher received a grant to explore novel materials for applications in electronics. When he tried heating the oxides of manganese, yttrium and indium at 2,000 °F, he inadvertently found the bluest blue pigment to date.