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TIL: Australia had an unofficial mascot during the 2000 Olympics named “Fatso the Fat Arsed Wombat” who not only appeared in one of the races but also had a statue which sold for A$80,450.

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JYeWV TIL Invented around 1770, the basset horn was pitched a fourth lower than the traditional clarinet (F) and is described to have a rich tone. Mozart liked its sound so much that wrote multiples pieces specifically for his clarinetist friend. As the orchestra started to grow, it fell into obscurity
ADogB TIL of 'holdout houses' - old properties that hold out against new development. One such occupied 'million dollar corner' at Macy's in New York. Another example is Edith Macefield's house in Seattle, whose owner famously turned down an offer of $1M. She willed it to the construction superintendent.
BOZW TIL on British coins, the direction in which the monarch’s head faces alternates with each successive monarch.
OGLQY TIL Abracadabra is of unknown origin, the first known mention of the word was in the second century AD by a physician to the Roman emperor who prescribed that malaria sufferers should wear an amulet containing Abracadabra written in the form of a triangle.
QNPQE TIL the rat filmed breathing liquid in The Abyss (1989) was really done, and not an effect. The rat is filmed in an emulsion of oxygenated perfluorocarbon emulsion, aka "breathing liquid"