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TIL: Claude Monet could see ultraviolet light, a side effect of a 1922 cataract operation. This is why his ‘Haystacks’ era work featured such prominent blues and purples.

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p80jQ TIL In 1999, people believed that Furbies contained computer chips so they could record words and repeat them. The U.S. satellite intelligence operation banned Furbies - in essence, accusing the toy of being a Chinese-manufactured spy, a secret-stealing bugging device capable of eavesdropping.
a6nN TIL that prior to 1970 keyboards did not have an “!” To type it you had to hit “period, backspace, apostrophe”
VBooB TIL the expression "streets ahead" is an English phrase dating back to the nineteenth century, not something made up by the writers on Community.
5YylP TIL that Absinthe, aka The Green Fairy, a spirit once particularly popular within the French artistic community, was widely banned in the early 20th century due to its alleged hallucinatory effects believed due to ingredient thujone. The US ban was lifted in 2007 but the drink must be thujone free.
MYR0 TIL Morgan Freeman is against Black History Month