› added 12 years ago

130

TIL that William Shakespeare invented the word “swagger.”

Read more etymonline.com

via reddit.com

WMv9 TIL that grapefruit can interact with at least 85 different prescription drugs, increasing their concentration in blood, causing the potential for an overdose
PYmng TIL that in 2011 a giant sculpture of a woman bathing was built in the Alster Lake, Hamburg Germany. It remained in the Lake for 10 days and was made up of a head and 2 knees protruding from the water.
VVyp TIL George Washington stopped the Revolutionary War to return a lost dog to the enemy. The terrier of a British general was found wandering the battlefield. The US waved a truce flag, and both sides stopped shooting until the dog was successfully returned to the British commander.
awkyM TIL that the first Harry Potter Book was rejected by 12 different publishers, before being accepted by Bloomsbury. The CEO of Bloomsbury said it was "The Biggest Publishing Phenomenon of Modern Times."
ExaW TIL: The island of Bikini Atoll has a flag similar to the US’s as a symbol of the debt they believe the US owes them - while testing nuclear weapons, an H-Bomb detonated in 1954 resulted in the poisoning of many islanders from the nuclear fallout.