› added 9 years ago

1280

TIL that breasts have been referred to as “melon[s]” since the times of Ancient Greece

Read more etymonline.com

via reddit.com

jNoYQ TIL that famous ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev escaped Soviet Russia to freedom only to be diagnosed with AIDS a few years later, he swore to fight the disease defiantly: "AIDS is not going to fuck me, I'm going to fuck AIDS.”
Kdw TIL that Albert Michelson, celebrated for his work in discovering the speed of light, got a free education at the US naval accademy just because he hung out by the door to the Whitehouse and went (initially uninvited) for daily morning walks with the President (Grant).
OERg TIL that 42-year-old Dmitry Agarkov, a Russian man, took a piece of spam mail for a pre-approved credit card, re-wrote the terms, sent it in, got it approved, and when the bank tried to renege on the deal, successfully sued for 700,000 USD.
WkJoN TIL of the Peshtigo Fire a forest fire so hot it spawned fire tornadoes (fire whirls), and people that jumped in wells to escape the blaze were boiled alive.
a88bZ TIL Dolly Parton had the Robert F. Thomas Chapel built at her Dollywood theme park to honor the mountain doctor who delivered her for a sack of cornmeal.