› added 9 years ago

129

TIL J.R.R. Tolkien taught himself Finnish at 18, just so he could read one book, the Kalevala–which he used as a basis for Middle Earth legendarium.

Read more fingerlakesfinns.org

via reddit.com

GYgxE TIL that in "Oblomov", the second novel by Russian writer Ivan Goncharov, it takes the protagonist the first 50 pages, to get up from bed, and move to a chair.
vR0x TIL France banned radio and television news anchors from saying the words “Facebook” and “Twitter” on air.
N7nY6 TIL Peter Porco, after being hit in the head 16 times with an axe, woke up with his alarm and shaved, prepared breakfast, retrieved the newspaper and made his lunch all before succumbing to his injuries.
VaBQ TIL that a group of penguins in the water is called a “raft.” A group of penguins on land is called a “waddle.”
x6MLB TIL that early bowling alleys would leave lanes ungreased and scuff the edges of bowling balls, in hopes of creating impressive sparks. This practice was discontinued after a 1929 fire at a Chicago alley that killed three people.