› added 5 months ago

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TIL Leonardo da Vinci never gave the Mona Lisa to the person who commissioned it

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R7Vb7 TIL of the Oakland Buddha, a statue placed on a trash-ridden street corner by a non-Buddhist neighbor who was fed up with the trash. He thought the statue might 'shift the energy in the neighborhood.' It has since become a shrine and gathering place for Vietnamese residents.
VBvX0 TIL that Elizabeth Monroe, the fifth first lady, managed to get Lafayette's wife (Marie-Adrienne Lafayette) out of prison during the French Revolution.
vPQ7L TIL of hyraceum, a material made from petrified hyrax poop that is often used in perfumes
wLra8 TIL Hallmark created wrapping paper. In 1917, after running out of tissue paper, the Hall Brother's store in Kansas City resorted to selling colourful envelope liners. This proved to be successful and inspired them to create wrapping paper.
PYBbn TIL while the winners of the 1971 Cannonball Run - a street race across the USA - were driving a Ferrari Daytona, the 2nd place finishers had a Chevy van fitted with a 248-gallon auxiliary tank to minimize the refuel count. The van took only 53 minutes longer than the Ferrari to finish the race in.