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TIL: George Clooney's most faithful companion for almost 20 years was a 300lb Vietnamese pot-bellied pig named Max. Clooney first bought Max for Kelly Preston, but when she went on to marry John Travolta, she left the pig behind. Clooney often jokes that Max is the longest relationship he's ever had

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W7xEo TIL of the anti-slavery book "The Impending Crisis of the South" published before the civil war which sought to convince southerners to abandon slavery by appealing to their self-interest using economic arguments rather than any appeal to morality. Three men were hanged in Arkansas for owning a copy
NxKE TIL that P.T. Barnum noticed people were lingering too long at his exhibits so he posted signs indicating “This Way to the Egress”. Not knowing that “Egress” was another word for “Exit”, people followed the signs to what they assumed was a fascinating exhibit — and ended up outside.
p8VK8 TIL: Godzilla was originally conceived to be a cross between a gorilla and whale. The name is a hybrid of the two Japanese words for those two animals
NXpA6 TIL that Christopher Nolan planned to use the Joker in The Dark Knight Rises, but scrapped the idea after Ledger’s death and refused to recast or CGI him out of respect for Ledger.
N74PP Until the 21st century, birds were largely dismissed as simpletons. How smart can you be with a brain the size of a nut? And yet the more we study bird intelligence, the more those assumptions are breaking down. Studies have shown, for instance, that crows make tools, ravens solve puzzles, and parrots boast a diverse vocabulary. Their brains may be tiny, but birds have been known to outsmart children and apes.