› added 4 years ago

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TIL Owl wings among other birds wings light up under UV light and the glow/brightness can be used to determine which feathers are newer versus older

xr8k TIL that when Martha Washington recalled the two saddest days of her life the first was December 14, 1799 when her husband died. The second was in January 1801 when Thomas Jefferson visited Mt Vernon. “Next to the loss of her husband” Jefferson’s visit was the “most painful occurrence of her life.”
Wkm8A TIL that Aunt Jemima from the syrup bottle was a real lady name Nancy Green. She was a former slave and advocated against poverty and in favor of equal rights for individuals of Chicago. She then became one of the first African American living trademarks and the face of 'Aunt Jemima' .
PJZO TIL Shell sold “No Pest Strips” that were highly carcinogenic, even causing one death. They eventually pulled it off the U.S. market and sold it in Mexico so they could still make money. Shell executive: “Speaking as a human being, sure you feel bad. But I’m not being paid to be a human being.”
GAL1g TIL that extras in film and television productions will repeat phrases like "watermelon canteloupe" and "rhubarb rhubarb" over and over again to simulate the murmur of a crowd in the background.
PQjV TIL that Salvador Dalí condemned clichés, stating: “The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was possibly an idiot.” Ironically, in stating this he himself was repeating the words of poet Gérard de Nerval.