› added 7 years ago

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TIL that the MTV show Celebrity Deathmatch once planned to have a showdown between Captain Kirk vs. Captain Piccard with William Shatner even blessing the episode. Paramount was unhappy and pulled the plug because they didn’t want MTV “F***ing with their billion dollar franchise”.

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DQ0ev TIL That a 'Bear' Market, when referring to the Stock Market, comes from the 17th century insult 'Bearskin Jobber'. They were someone who sold a bear skin before actually having caught and skinned a bear. This became attributed to someone who shorted a stock without actually owning it.
0o7y TIL that Trey Parker initially thought that the South Park episode “Make Love, Not Warcraft” would be the end of South Park’s positive reputation. The episode is considered one of the best by fans.
ZpgRY TIL almost all bananas come from two wild species. Bananas are grown in 135 countries with China and India accounting for 27%. They can be used for paper and textile making and are technically a berry.
l7lJB TIL there was a 500 BC predecessor to Suez canal, connecting the Nile and Red sea, thus enabling a single water route to Malabar (India) from Rome. It had water locks to solve the higher elevation of sea than the inlands
wvj6 TIL in a 1978 Tennessee state legislature race, one candidate murdered his opponent. Because he was not convicted before the election, his name had to remain on the ballot while his victim’s was removed, leading the murdered candidate’s widow to run a successful write-in campaign.