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1338

TIL that David Bowie did not suffer from heterochromia. Rather, he had a condition known as anisocoria, where one pupil is permanently more dilated than the other, as a result of a fistfight with a friend in his youth. That friend was George Underwood, his lifelong artistic partner.

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vJRR TIL after the Nazi’s occupied Warsaw, 80% of the city was destroyed and reconstruction efforts were guided by a series of 1700s cityscape paintings. It was later discovered the painter had made artistic “improvements” … so the rebuilt structures looked different (arguably better) than before.
9wWDG TIL that cigarette filters were designed with color-changing chemicals to give the illusion that they filter out toxins. In reality, the filters have little to no health benefits.
XoZ6 TIL in 1797 The Treaty of Tripoli, which in part stated that the United States was in no way a Christian Nation, was accepted unanimously by the senate. There are no records of any debate or dissension on the treaty.
e0AP5 TIL of the usage "Bob's your uncle" meaning "and there you have it". In 1887, the UK Prime Minister Robert "Bob" Cecil appointed his nephew, Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland. Whatever other qualifications Balfour might have had, "Bob's your uncle" was seen as the conclusive one.
4XmY6 Today I learned that when the PBS Newshour lists their major financial contributors at the end of the program, the "Rosalind P. Walter" they thank is Rosie the Riveter.