› added 4 years ago

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TIL the Mastic tree is only found on the island of Chios and has been harvested for 2500 years. It is used for digestive problems, colds, as a breath freshener (chewing gum) and a multitude of other uses. It was threatened by the Chios forest fires in August 2012

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ZR9o TIL The worst opening weekend ever for a movie goes to ‘United Passions,’ which tells the story of how FIFA was formed, earning only $918 in its first three days
b9lep TIL John Priest survived the Asturias foundering (1907, damaged in collision), Olympic and Hawke collision (1911), Titanic sinking (1912, hit iceberg), Alcantara sinking (1916, torpedoed), Britannic sinking (1916, hit mine), and Donegal sinking (1917, torpedoed).
Xjbr TIL Comedian and filmmaker Mel Brooks not only discovered Dave Chappelle, he also discovered Gene Wilder (The original Willy Wonka). He also served as a Combat Engineer in the Battle of the Bulge, defusing explosives, and set up his own loud speakers and sang to enemy propaganda loudspeakers.
5QOr TIL A man advertised over the internet searching for somebody that wanted to be killed and eaten, to which a man actually responded and allowed himself to be eaten alive.
pMLZ TIL that in Gilbertese, the official language of the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati, the word for dog (kamea) comes from the sound that the natives heard Europeans calling out to dogs (come here).