› added 4 years ago

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TIL the Washington monument was constructed in 2 phases separated by over 2 decades, due to funding issues. The stones used in the 2nd phase was different from the one used earlier. Though they looked similar then, the stones have aged differently and the difference is clearly visible now.

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em6L TIL that a transparent variant of Coke was specially manufactured for a Soviet marshal who didn’t want to be seen drinking an American imperialist beverage in public
l7ZB5 TIL Meryl Streep's agent did not make it clear to her that she did not get cast as Miss Kenton in Remains of the Day after the director and her agent sold her on it. She learned of it by reading it, that Emma Thompson, who is 10 years younger, was cast instead. Soon after, she fired her agent.
gMgOL TIL more about Christopher Lee: he was an intelligence officer in WW2,and after the war ended,he didn't know of a career to pursue,so his cousin suggested that he start acting- he went on to portray Dracula 9 times. He also won 3 Guinness World Records, and released 4 heavy metal albums at 80+ yo.
xVk6w TIL William McGonagall's poetry was so bad, he read it as part of a circus sideshow. He was eventually legally barred from performing because the audience would riot.
GY9p4 TIL: The modern use of gay comes from gaycat, a slang term among hobos meaning a boy who accomapnies an older, more experienced tramp, with the implication of sexual favors being exchanged for protection.