› added 10 years ago

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TIL Porky Pig, not Bugs Bunny, is the oldest continuing Looney Tunes character.

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rN9Re TIL that sticking out one’s tongue is a sign of respect or agreement and was often used as a greeting in traditional Tibetan culture. Apparently, a cruel ninth-century Tibetan king had a black tongue, so people stick out their tongues to show that they are not like him (and aren’t his reincarnation)
epag5 TIL Andrew Jackson gave his 21-year-old niece the role of First Lady when his wife died. She was praised for the food and alcohol she served during her tenure.
mejR TIL: Nintendo’s Mario is named after the landlord of the warehouse Nintendo was using as their American headquarters, the company had gotten behind in rent payment, prompting an angry visit from Mario, the developers subsequently immortalized him by renaming “Jumpman” to “Mario”.
Oo17R TIL When Sweden won the ice hockey world championships in 1957 in Moscow, the Soviets didn't have the national anthem ready. The Swedish team decided to sing it over the stadium's PA system, but didn't know the words to the anthem, so instead they sang the Swedish drinking song, "Helan går!".
wLPGo TIL about E.D. Morel, the shipping clerk who revealed Belgium's atrocities in the Congo. He noticed shipments of ammunition going to the Congo, and coming back with ivory and rubber. His superiors offered him a promotion in exchange for his silence. He refused, quit his job, and became a journalist.