› added 4 years ago

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TIL that our modern Latin alphabet is ultimately descended from Egyptian hieroglyphs (as are basically all modern writing systems not derived from Chinese characters)

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9KgD TIL Elizabeth Taylor’s apparent dark outlined eyes were due to a rare genetic mutation giving her “double eyelashes”.
R7Nx7 TIL watermelons were not yet “domesticated” by the mid 17th century in Europe, although they were starting to appear in gardens. They had not yet been bred for richness of flavor or concentration of flesh as can be seen in period art.
Lk4Pr TIL that NBA star Larry Bird would taunt the people guarding him by telling them exactly what he was going to do before he did it.
OGQJL TIL that while the Royal Navy suspended flogging in 1879, they never actually abolished it.
e976 TIL the HP Lovecraft novella “At the Mountains of Madness” was planned to be adapted into a film directed by Guillermo del Toro, produced by James Cameron, but it has not been greenlit since 2011 due to Universal Studios wanting it to be a PG-13-rated film instead of R-rated.