› added 8 years ago

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TIL that the Microsoft Office assistant Clippy has an actual voice, and -of all people- he’s voiced by Gilbert Gottfried.

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J1WEQ TIL that Irish Sign Language (ISL) is unique among sign languages for having different gendered versions, with men and women using different signs for the same words.
yQll8 Today I learned the Royal Family was subject to post World War II rationing rules like the rest of the country. The fabric used for Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown was paid for with clothing ration coupons.
4ka6X TIL there is a permanent settlement on Antartica other than a research base, called Villa Las Estrellas.
OGn9L TIL that before it was "Donner and Blitzen," it was "Donder and Blitzen," and before that it was "Dunder and Blixem," which is colloquial New York Dutch meaning "Thunder and Lightning."
8a5vZ TIL that Navajo language was used in the WWII by the U.S. Armed Forces in the Pacific to encrypt communications. They simply had Navajo Indians talking to each other, and since the language is exceedingly complex and has no written form, not a single person in Japan knew anything about it.