› added 13 years ago

94

TIL that gelatin is 99% animal bone and skin.

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jNvwX TIL Greek painter Zeuxis, one of the first artists to use realistic imagery, had a contest with his contemporary Parrhasius. Zeuxis drew grapes so flawless that birds came to peck at them, but Parrhasius drew curtains and asked him to pull it aside, which fooled him since they were actually painted.
E1yXp TIL the odds of having the same finger print as someone else is 1 in 64 billion. Because there have been over 108 billion people to have ever lived on earth, many people, either dead or alive, will have to have the same fingerprint
mvJo TIL “Rat-Children” in Pakistan. Where babies’ heads are placed in rings to stunt growth so that they appear disabled. These children are sold for large sums of money to become professional beggars
5XOQ TIL the term freelance dates back to 1820 describe a “free-lance,” indicating that the lance is not sworn to any lord’s services.
P1XKG TIL that in 1524, the letter “J” was the last to be added to the English alphabet; before that, “I” was used for both sounds.