› added 4 years ago

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TIL that Joan of Arc wasn't actually from a place called "Arc", because there is no such place. "Of Arc" is a mistranslation of "D'Arc" (or "Darc"), which was actually her last name.

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e8ek TIL In 1914 the Coca-Cola Company was flooded with look-alike competitors. They requested design proposals for their product: a “bottle so distinct that you would recognize if by feel in the dark or lying broken on the ground.” It became a classic example of design patents for law students.
nWe6b TIL Dean Karnazes, known for running 350 miles (563km) in 80 hours, didn't start running professionally until he was 32 years old - he was a great runner in school, but after complications with his high school track coach, he stopped running for 15 years.
e7D6 TIL in Iran, opium is cheaper than beer.
dGLQ TIL that when Parker Brothers tried to introduce a german version of Risk, the board game in which players try to dominate a map of world, the German government threatened to ban it on the grounds that it might encourage imperialist and militaristic impulses in the nation’s youth.
BgQWL TIL that the United States has over 350 languages.