› added 8 months ago

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TIL the Giffen Goods. These are poor-quality goods that defy standard economic behavior and whose demand increases as prices rise. Despite the substitution effect, the income effect of higher prices leads to greater consumption of the commodity.

MerWb TIL that only 388k slaves out of a total 12.5 million that crossed the Atlantic were sold in the US. The rest (10.7 million) went to Mexico and South America.
xVYyk TIL Not only did Jon Favreau direct the movie "Elf" but he also had 2 roles in the movies. He was the doctor (credited) and the voice actor of Mr. Narwhal (uncredited). He is most proud of his Narwhal role because that's the one that is on T-Shirts and Sweaters.
pLaG TIL that when the Titanic was found in 1985, the famous Grand Staircase (appearing in many films of the sinking) was missing. During the filming of the 1997 movie, the replica was torn out by the water when the set was flooded; the real staircase was likely ripped out of the ship in the same way.
WkWxd TIL Gen. George Custer, before the disastrous Battle of Little Bighorn, was warned by his own Native American scouts that the Lakota allied forces vastly outnumbered Custer's men. Custer ignored these warnings believing his well armed forces to be nigh invincible. He was dead within the day.
gMQEA TIL that numerous countries have very different names in their native languages: China is Zhōngguó, Egypt is Misr, South Korea is Hanguk, North Korea is Chosŏn, Hungary is Magyarország, Armenia is Hayastán, Albania is Shqipëria, Georgia is Sak'art'velo, Bhutan is Druk Yul, and many more