› added 5 years ago

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TIL that one of the first synthetic dyes, Perkin's Mauve, was discovered by William Perkin after his professor challenged the then-18-year-old to synthesise the anti-malarial quinine.

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6mxQ TIL when Michael Caine was asked about Jaws IV: The Revenge, he replied: “I’ve never seen it, but by all accounts it’s terrible. However, I’ve seen the house it built, and it’s terrific.”
KOE4a TIL that Nicolaus Copernicus proposed the heliocentric solar system (making the sun the center of the solar system instead of earth) from his death bed because he was aware of the controversy it would cause and the danger it proposed to him. He was right.
QJMOM TIL that although Tic Tacs are almost 100% sugar, FDA regulations allow them to be advertised as 0 grams of sugar per serving due to their size
Y8N7 TIL in Russia many doctors “treat” alcoholism by surgically implanting a small capsule into their patients. The capsules react so severely with alcohol that once the patient touches a single drop, they instantly acquire an excruciating illness of similar intensity to acute heroin withdrawal
4keD6 TIL Kevin Costner turned down starring in Air Force One (1997) so he can star in The Postman (1997), a movie he also directed. Air Force One was a critical and commercial success while The Postman was a box office bomb with Costner "winning" two Razzie awards for worst actor and director.