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TIL Hoover was a "talking" harbor seal who mimicked human speech. After being orphaned as a pup, Hoover was rescued by George Swallow, who raised the seal in his backyard. Over time, Hoover taught himself phrases like "Hello there" and "Come over here!" in a thick New England accent.

W4jo TIL that in EverQuest, the sale of valuable items for both in-game platinum and for actual money allows exchange rates to be worked out. The BBC reported in 2002 that EQ was the 77th richest country in the world, between Russia and Bulgaria, with a higher GDP per capita than both China and India.
wAWo TIL Mr Bean’s humour truly crosses language and cultural barriers; a friend of Rowan Atkinson’s was in a poor African village during the 90s when she heard loud laughter coming from a shack. She went in & discovered most of the village gathered around a fuzzy black & white TV watching Mr Bean.
7rXAM TIL there was a rumor that that there was an exclusive, powerful black card that American Express offers, having worked with Amex before, comedian Jerry Seinfeld called up the President of Amex and asked him it. Turns out there wasn't one after all, so they made one and made Jerry the first holder
mx5pY TIL Wi-Fi doesn’t stand for anything; it’s a made up word. "IEEE 802.11' didn't have much of a ring to it, and the industry association wanted a catchy name. They came up with wi-fi, and that's what's been used ever since.”
BgdBr TIL that there is a mcdonald's restaurant located in one of Budapest's main railway stations (a 19th century building) which has been chosen europe's most beautiful mcdonald's at one point.