› added 7 years ago

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TIL that the concept of a "white elephant" came from the King of Siam, where he gifted an albino elephant to people who displeased him; knowing that they couldn't get rid of it and that the upkeep cost would ruin them financially

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4kK0b TIL The deadliest aviation accident in US history was American flight 191 at O'Hare Airport in Chicago in 1979. The DC-10 passenger plane crashed just after takeoff, killing all 273 people aboard. The FAA promptly banned all DC-10s from flying in US airspace pending investigation.
Ogka TIL that Sesame Street’s Count von Count penchant for numbers is not only a pun on his name, but vampire legends often indicate arithomania, or a fixation on counting small objects.
mxbNo TIL a Marine Corps veteran by the name of John "Chick" Donohue snuck into Vietnam in 1967 during the ongoing war simply to deliver beer to his friends in combat.
oLQr TIL the use of color Vantablack (the darkest shade of black) is exclusive to only one artist, Anish Kapoor. No other artist is supposed to use it to create art with it.
M77Am TIL that nearly all French wine, including expensive French wine, comes from vines grafted onto American roots.