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TIL in 1980 there was such an uproar that the film, The Elephant Man was not nominated for it effects by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that the Academy Award for Best Makeup category was created the following year as response.

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LkN60 TIL that Philippines is a hotbed for theatrical death fraud that involves false corpses. The most common motives are financial, evasion of prison sentences, and romance. Prices vary depending on the sort of 'death kit' you need to fake your own death.
m1dyR TIL about the Macbeth superstition where if anyone says the name "Macbeth" outside of rehearsals or a performance in a theater, the production of the play will be cursed.
MKK7 TIL in Cherrapunji, India locals have built bridges with living tree roots for hundreds of years. They direct the roots of the native ficus to grow in a certain direction, using bamboo as support. Some of the bridges are more than 30m long and can support the weight of 50 people.
KOYJQ An extraordinary collection of images from Burns Archive shows the extent to which gas masks were promoted as an essential part of everyday life in the early 20th century. It had been 20 years since the end of World War I, when chlorine gas—and, later, mustard gas—had first been used. The estimates of total casualties from this form of chemical warfare are staggering: 88,000 dead and 1,200,000 injured. With war once again on the horizon, Britain and continental Europe began taking early precautions. In 1938, the British government issued 35 million “General Civilian Respirators”. Everyone from ballerinas to surgeons were encouraged to wear the masks.
Z856G TIL that in 1275, the theft of a cow by a peasant led to a war that resulted in 15,000 deaths on the territory of present-day Belgium.