› added 4 years ago

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TIL Wes Anderson was inspired to make the film "Isle of Dogs" when he spotted a road sign directing to the London neighbourhood of the same name.

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J1gDv TIL that Gresham College, an institution of higher learning in London, does not enroll students or award degrees, and instead hosts over 140 free public lectures every year. Since 2001, all lectures have been made available online.
4XMlJ TIL that to promote Windows 7's launch in 2009, Burger King in Japan released the Windows 7 Whopper, which had 7 patties totaling over 1,000 kcal and weighing 2.2 lb (1 kg). Originally planned to be sold for only 7 days, unexpected popularity led to its available period being extended to 16 days.
Z8oXD TIL: Mysterious metal mini-awnings set knee-high on some London exteriors are urine deflectors. “A man may sometimes walk a mile before he can meet with a suitable" outdoor pee site, fussed an 1809 London writer who condemned the inventions that "conduct the stream into the shoes of the luckless."
XEOVj TIL in 1964, a bristlecone pine was killed after a graduate research student accidentally got his tree core stuck in it's trunk. The tree was cut down to retrieve the core only to find out it was the oldest known living organism known at that time. It was estimated to be over 5,000 years old.
gMdXX TIL of The Icelandic Elf School in Reykjavík, Iceland, that offers lectures and guided tours about Icelandic folklore. The organization teaches about the hidden people and the 13 different kinds of elves that the organization believes inhabit the country of Iceland.