› added 10 years ago

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TIL the 3 timelines shown in The Grand Budapest Hotel were each shot in a different aspect ratio, to reflect the cinematic history of the period being depicted.

VMD80 TIL a 90s "Watchmen" movie almost happened where Sam Hamm (Batman) wrote, Joel Silver (Matrix) produced, Terry Gilliam (Monty Python) directed, Arnold Schwarzenegger played Dr. Manhattan, and David Bowie was Rorschach. And the ending would've had Manhattan use his powers to prevent his own creation.
yQZAv TIL about the Great California flood of 1862 - which submerged Sacramento under 10 feet of water and turned California’s Central Valley into a vast inland sea spanning 300 miles long, 20 miles wide and 30 feet deep. It killed thousands, bankrupted the state and historically happens every 200 years.
d8kwE TIL that there is a zip line stretching across the border between Spain and Portugal. The journey on the zip line is over in less than one minute but when you land at the other side you are in a different time zone and will be one hour ahead, thanks to the time difference.
YppZG TIL many EXIT signs contain a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, tritium gas. This allows for radioluminescence, which makes the sign glow as a result of low-level beta radiation from the tritium decay.
P1gxe TIL of Snap-dragon, a parlour game from the 16th century. In a dark room, brandy was heated and placed in a wide shallow bowl; raisins were placed in the brandy which was then set alight. The object was to snatch the raisins and extinguish them in your mouth. Kids often burned their hands & mouths.