› added 11 years ago

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TIL almost all of The Hobbit’s character names were taken out of an old Icelandic poem “Dvergatal”

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4Xw8b TIL the Library of Congress estimates 75% of all silent films are lost forever. The largest cause of silent film loss was intentional destruction, as before the era of television, films were viewed as having little future value when theatrical runs ended.
o4rL TIL that if you are pregnant and 35 or older it is called a “geriatric pregnancy”
0wOAA TIL the ratio between the index finger and the ring finger is affected by testosterone in the womb. People with longer ring fingers are more likely to be masculine, aggressive, have autism, have longer penises (if they're male) and be lesbians (if they're female).
wLVM1 TIL Bill Bixby, who played the original Incredible Hulk's David Banner, had a 7-year old son who died in 1981 of a rare infection. His wife committed suicide as a result of their loss. Bill's next marriage ended in divorce at the same time he was diagnosed with cancer. Bill died in 1993 at age 59.
6RvW TIL the divide between West Germany and East Germany was so sharply defined it lead to houses and buildings being split down the middle