› added 12 years ago

82

TIL that not only were there Kings and Popes in the Middle Ages, there were Antikings and Antipopes.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

XEO9Q TIL the phrase "I cried all the way to the bank" came from Liberace in 1956, after a newspaper crudely accused him of homosexuality and he sued—and won.
wvNJ TIL the highest point and the lowest point in the continental US are only 88 miles apart, with almost a 15,000 foot drop in elevation.
GYGQj TIL: In the 1920s, fashion-designer Coco Chanel accidentally got sunburnt while visiting the French Riviera, she returned home with a sun tan. Because of Coco’s status and the longing for her lifestyle by other members of society, tanned skin became seen as fashionable, healthy, and luxurious.
EgMEV TIL Salmon sperm DNA is used in molecular biology experiments as a standard or template for PCR and as a competitor in hybridisation assays due to its high purity. It can even increase the human DNA recovered from a cotton swab.
Oo7mX TIL that there is a string called an "eruv" encircling most American cities, including almost all of Manhattan, strung from pole to pole. The one in Manhattan costs $100k / year to maintain.