› added 10 years ago

79

TIL that the Looney Toons Golden Collection DVD’s have a disclaimer explaining racial stereotypes in some cartoon shorts, airing them unedited “because to do otherwise would be the same as to claim these prejudices never existed”.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

ADOgn TIL that 'meme' the word was coined by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene to explain how cultural information spreads. The internet meme is just a subset of the same concept.
0lmj TIL the largest cashew tree in the world was planted by a fisherman in Brazil, genetic anomalies made the branches grow sideways, it now spans 7500 square meters and financially supports upwards of 1500 people
neDZ9 TIL that Saddam Hussein was forced to watch his cameo in South Park repeatedly while in prison. The creators of the show were given a signed photo of him afterwards
VMaW0 TIL that snapping shrimps (the family Alpheidae), which grow to only 3-5cm long, compete with sperm whales for title of loudest animal in the ocean. Their snaps are capable of stunning fish and breaking glass jars. In numbers, the shrimp can interfere with sonar and underwater communication.
4kMG5 TIL of a "rehabilitated" member of Al-Qaeda who tried to assassinate Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of the Interior by sticking a pound of plastic explosive in his anal cavity. The target survived, stating "I did not want him to be searched, but he surprised me by blowing himself up"