› added 8 months ago

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TIL the Humor Research Lab thinks humor comes from “benign violations”: minor attacks on our physical, psychological, and cultural stability that we consider harmless.

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via reddit.com

4XBDa TIL the whitewashed village of Juzcar, Spain used 4,000 liters of paint to turn the entire village blue for the release of Smurfs (2011). After the movie had been released, residents voted to keep it blue as it had helped increase tourism.
1amyP TIL that while there are multiple elements named after coutries (Americium, Francium, Germanium, Polonium.. ) there is only one country named after an element. 'Argentina' is derived from 'Argentum' the latin name for Silver. The symbol for Silver is Ag.
Bg0wb TIL students once made Oxford the murder capital of late medieval England. A 2023 study found that it had a murder rate 4-5x higher than that of London or York & 50x higher than current rates in 21st century English cities. The mix of young male students & booze was often a powder keg for violence.
1R1r TIL That an UK double agent knew about the attack on Pearl Harbor months before the attack. And that FBI was told about this but ignored the facts.
woKDJ TIL the massive decimation of native populations in the Americas in the 1500s led to vast areas of cultivated land reverting to wilderness. This reforestation in turn contributed to a period of global cooling known as the "Little Ice Age"