› added 8 years ago

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TIL the word Britain is derived from Pretain meaning “painted” - originally because the Britons had tatoos.

Read more bbc.com

via ift.tt

ROVa TIL that linguists have studied the weird accent you hear in a lot of early aughts pop-punk and concluded that it’s actually a heightened version of the SoCal accent with random Chicano and British elements.
p8l18 TIL Unknown author Janet Frame was scheduled for a frontal lobotomy when it was announced that she had won a national literary prize. The procedure was cancelled.
J1wOv TIL former Boston Red Sox pitcher Hideki Okajima's unique pitching motion was inspired by a character in Yoishi Takashi's Manga "Ace!" Okajima believed the motion would make him throw harder.
Y7xjG TIL I learned that Kirkby's council (near Liverpool) created a ski slope in the middle of nowhere in 1973-74. By 1975 it was demolished after it was unsafe (and the slope was facing the sun).
WkwAd TIL Mr. T had T-cell lymphoma. He said, “Can you imagine that? Cancer with my name on it—personalized cancer.” Fortunately he was able to beat it and is cancer free.