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TIL John Cleese of Monty Python has the unique distinction of having turned down both a life peerage (barony) and a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), saying he felt the honor was “silly.“

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ZnEa TIL that handwriting has declined so much that 1 in 3 respondents to a UK survey said they had not written anything by hand in the previous 6 months.
78mnL TIL that Fyodor Dostoevsky had a crippling gambling addiction. He was frequently in debt, and wrote an entire novel based on this addiction, titled "The Gambler". Once, his financial situation was so dire his wife was reportedly forced to pawn off her underwear.
QNlVp TIL gecko feet don't work like glue, suction cups, or velcro; by changing the angle of the hairs on their feet, geckos can sync-up the movement of electrons in the hairs and the electrons on the surface they want to walk on, generating van der Waals forces that adhere them to walls/ceilings at will
7odb TIL the reason cats and dogs like to lie in the sun is so the oily cholesterol on their skin is converted to vitamin D3. Their thick fur means they lick (while grooming) the oil off it rather than it being absorbed though the skin like in humans.
epaYn TIL American English and Chinese use different strategies of politeness. If complimented, most Americans will agree with commenter and thank them to be polite but if complimented many Chinese will express it via rejecting the compliment and denigrating themselves to avoid appearing conceitful