› added 12 years ago

104

TIL That when the University of Oregon Ducks play the Oregon State Beavers, they play for “The Platypus Trophy”

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4kE86 TIL The Ventures, a bunch of young kids in Tacoma, recorded Walk, Don't Run as an instrumental in 1960. A friend covered drums for them. He was offered $25 or 25% of the royalties. It sold millions of copies, helping create other guitar groups, and is in the Grammy Hall of Fame. He took the $25.
14a8 TIL the makers of Hello Kitty, Sanrio, was in a big legal battle with a European toy company before the 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami. Immediately after the disaster, both companies agreed to settle out of court and use the legal fees to help the victims.
dxvj TIL A man thought to be in a vegetative state is able to tell scientists that he is not in pain. “We have scanned him several times and his pattern of brain activity shows he is clearly choosing to answer our questions. We believe he knows who and where he is.”
Rol TIL during the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, one Israeli tank commander single-handedly fought off an entire advancing Syrian tank battalion, taking advantage of the darkness and moving constantly to make the Syrians believe they were facing a full Israeli armored division while destroying 40 Syrian tanks.
dDKAr TIL 'Heart of Glass' was one of the first songs Blondie wrote in '74. They initially sang it as a ballad, then reworked it as a Reggae tune but it never really clicked. Finally, years later, they gave it a disco sound, recorded it on a lark, and it became a massive hit.