› added 8 years ago

137

TIL a Swedish couple tried naming their son ‘Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116’(pronounced Albin) as a protest against the naming law in Sweden. It was rejected. They later submitted 'A’ (also pronounced Albin) but was also rejected due to a prohibition on one-letter naming.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

ANQAn TIL Due to the occupation of Portugal by Napoleonic forces, the Portuguese ruling class fled to Brazil with Rio de Janeiro functioning as the capital of the Portuguese Empire. The move allowed unprecedented growth and development to the city, and helped lay the foundation of Brazilian independence.
E1Wgo TIL that the Empire State Building's antenna was originally designed to be a dock for zepplin airships. It was used only once in September 1931 and abandoned entirely after the Hindenburg incident.
oBG0K TIL In the US, Tic Tac’s list the sugar content as 0g despite the mints being approximately 90% sugar. This stems from the fact that a serving size is one 0.49g mint, and the USDA permits manufacturers to list sugar as 0g if they contain less than 0.5g.
884L TIL a large group of flamingos is called a flamboyance
D8XJ TIL Will Smith turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix because he was unsure about the ambitious special effects. Nicholas Cage, Val Kilmer, and Brad Pitt also turned down the role. The Wachowski’s wanted Johnny Depp but the studio pushed for Keanu Reeves.