› added 3 years ago

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TIL that, as a philanthropist, actor Paul Newman was counted as the person who had distributed more money - in relation to his own wealth - than any other American during the 20th century.

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

Z8NG4 TIL A beluga whale named Hvalimir was found in a Norwegian harbor in 2019 with a camera harness attached leading to speculation of it being a Russian spy whale. Russia did not deny claims that it is a possible escapee from their Navy. It now resides peacefully in the harbor seeking human contact.
VMXB4 TIL: December 5th is Krampusnacht or "Krampus Night" when men dressed as Krampus drink alcohol, run through the streets, and chase delinquent children around and hit them with sticks. Many anthropologists believe the tradition is pre-Christian and goes back to pagan mythology.
ANNWw TIL in New Orleans during Mardi Gras they serve an iced, multi-colored cake called King Cake. Inside the cake there is a small baby figurine called a fève which represents baby Jesus. Whomever gets the fève is said to have luck and prosperity for the rest of the year.
RZXw TIL the ancient Greeks used the electrogenic properties of electric rays to numb the pain of childbirth and operations.
WkrmB TIL: Apples were originally nearly all bitter and were only used to make cider. However, during the prohibition in the 19th century, orchard owners used the slogan, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, in hopes of protecting their orchards and turning the apple into a health food.