› added 11 years ago

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TIL that Ikea names sofas, coffee tables, bookshelves, media storage and doorknobs after places in Sweden; beds, wardrobes and hall furniture after places in Norway; carpets after places in Denmark and dining tables and chairs after places in Finland.

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ZPVa TIL that through 50 years of experimentation investigating the domestication of wolves, scientists in the USSR (and later Russia) successfully domesticated the Silver Fox, a breed of foxes that behave like dogs
Zrrv TIL in 2016 a Russian hacker released the World Anti-Doping Agencies records which revealed that despite past denials both Venus and Serena Williams had used and received waivers for banned substances including corticosteroids and narcotics.
4knRJ TIL Octopus have 9 brains, 3 lungs and blue blood. Each of its 8 arms has one mini-brain, and one central brain. The blue blood is because the protein, haemocyanin, which carries oxygen around the octopus's body, contains copper rather than iron...
kmB7 TIL that in 2006, Guy Goma showed up at the BBC for a job interview as a computer technician. He was mistaken for Guy Kewney, a computer expert, and put on live TV to discuss a judicial verdict. Despite his amazing performance faking his way through the segment, he did not get the job.
pojA TIL In the original script of the Matrix film, Switch changed genders upon entering the Matrix, which coined their name, Switch. This may be a reflection of Lana Wachowski’s struggles with her gender identity, which were unknown to the public at the time.