› added 2 years ago

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TIL that in 2018 a framed painting by Banksy was sold at auction for over a million pounds. As the gavel fell an alarm sounded and a shredder concealed in the picture frame turned on and began to shred the painting. The buyer went through with the purchase.

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yVoep TIL Japan's real name as it's called in the Japanese word "Nihon" (日本) literally translates as: The "Land of the Rising Sun"/"The Origin of the Sun". This name was apparently given because the sun rose over Japan from China's POV. The English word "Japan" comes from a different early Mandarin word.
rN9D1 TIL the dreaded Emperor in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back was portrayed by Marjorie Eaton, a 79 year old woman. (re-post, rule 2)
7eGP TIL there’s $3 Billion dollars worth of platinum at the bottom of the ocean near Cape Cod.
4woJ TIL Transgender women are 49 times more likely to have HIV than the general population
69A6X TIL that the event that killed off the dinosaurs also killed off almost all reptiles, amphibians and mammals weighing more than 25 kg (55 lbs). Sea turtles and crocodilians were some of the few exceptions.