› added 11 years ago

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TIL the original TRON movie didn’t win an academy award for best special effects because the academy said they “cheated” by using computers.

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p8oe4 TIL a poor 19th century Chinese man failed the civil service exam, fell ill, reread a Christian pamphlet he had earlier ignored, & hallucinated that he was Jesus' brother. He led a cult/rebellion that conquered much of southern China, crowning himself as king. This civil war killed over 10 million.
d8WGE TIL that there is no link between sudden changes in temperatures and catching a cold. Even though indirect results of cold weather, such as low humidity, can increase your chances of getting a cold, walking out into the cold with wet hair does not seem to have any effect on this likelyhood.
6EaP7 TIL Garlic was called Russian penicillin during World War II because, after running out of antibiotics, the Russian government turned to this ancient treatment for its soldiers.
loyr5 TIL that when Leonid Brezhnev was the head of government of the Soviet Union, he awarded himself the Hero of the Soviet Union for his birthday in 1966, 1976, 1978 and 1981
a8M59 TIL that JFK didn’t invite Sammy Davis Jr. to his 1961 inauguration as Sammy had married a white woman, and JFK was worried that the presence of an interracial couple would upset Southerners. Dean Martin, who was angered by this news, refused to attend the inauguration in solidarity with Sammy.