› added 9 months ago

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TIL that Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish are so similar that speakers can usually read each other’s languages. Norwegians understand the others best, likely due to their language’s blend of Danish-style writing and Swedish-like pronunciation.

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M7RJW TIL there's a species of fruit fly whose sperm cells are over 2 inches long.
GA99J TIL that according to the creation mythology of the Kʼicheʼ Maya, we are living in the fourth world. The gods first created three failed worlds, followed by a successful fourth world in which humanity was placed.
468N TIL that the words in the song “do re me fa sol la si’ came from an old language that comprised of only 7 syllables. "Words could be sung, or played and since the language could also be translated into the seven colors of the rainbow, sentences could be woven into a textile as a stream of colors.”
696wl TIL a 12-year-old boy, at an art exhibit in Taipei, accidentally tore a fist-sized hole into a 17th century painting, worth $1.5 million, when he stumbled and put his hand out to balance himself. However, the artwork was insured, so the boy's family were not asked to pay for the restoration costs.
eenk TIL on the last day before drinking was banned on the London Underground, thousands of people rode around the Circle Line on the subway until the line was suspended, due to the unruliness of the crowd