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TIL the Latin phrase libra pondo was used in ancient Rome to indicate weight, which is why today the abbreviation for “pound” is “lb.”

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VBvkZ TIL Nikola Tesla believed he received extraterrestrial signals in 1899 during experiments in Colorado. In 1901 he wrote he may have heard “the greeting of one planet to another” and thought the signals came from Mars long before radio astronomy existed.
Q4LE TIL that many lion sanctuaries are actually fronts for canned hunting operations - by letting volunteers touch the animals, they make them easier to eventually kill.
1aKR8 TIL about Ferret-legging, where contestants shove live ferrets down their pants, and the winner is whoever can stand all the biting and scratching for the longest time. The ferrets must have all their 34 teeth and all their claws. Neither ferret nor contestant can be drugged in any way.
p874b TIL in 2001 Shrek premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was the first animated film to compete since 1953.
N7QnE TIL that Mel Blanc, the voice of Barney Rubble, suffered a car crash during production of Season 1 and so the actors would crowd around his hospital bed to record lines while the producers used a built in speaker to direct. Around forty episodes were recorded in such a manner.