› added 4 months ago

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TIL that Caesar was just a normal family name that originally meant ‘having thick hair’. Due to the exploits of Julius Caesar it became a generic title for Roman emperors and then influenced other languages like German (Kaiser), Russian (Tsar), and Arabic (Qayṣar)

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1av4D TIL FOX network refused to pick up the South Park series, saying the talking poo character (Mr. Hankey) would stain "[their] network." The series was then brought to Comedy Central, and it became the highest rated show that made the network one of the fastest-growing U.S. cable channels at the time.
wLP0W TIL that if you add 250ml of ethanol to 250ml of water, you get less than 500ml of liquid. This is because strong hydrogen bonding draws the different molecules closer together, and because ethyl molecules interfere with any open spaces in the water, causing them to pack closer together.
Ayja TIL that George Lucas has detailed knowledge of ‘Star Trek’. When actor Clint Howard auditioned for Lucas, the first thing the director said was “Balok, 'Corbomite Maneuver’”, a role Howard had played as a child 15 years earlier. The amazed Howard later said he wanted to yell “get a life” at Lucas.
AN107 TIL the World War II submarine USS Tang sank herself with her own torpedo. Of the 30 survivors, 13 escaped via the only recorded use of a "Momsen Lung," a primitive rebreather device. 9 others escaped and were captured & beaten by survivors from ships Tang had previously sank.
9wLar TIL: At the time of the French Revolution the majority of people in France did not speak French.