› added 9 years ago

162

TIL killing a panda can result in the death penalty in China

Read more chinadaily.com.cn

via reddit.com

M7bNm TIL that there was a real-life Lord of the Flies-esque situation where school boys were stuck on a deserted island for 15 months but the boys banded together rather than feuding.
b9xM0 TIL that in 2003, the mayor of Chicago illegally bulldozed the runway of a downtown airport in the middle of the night to create a park. This stranded 16 planes on the ground and required an inbound flight to be diverted. The FAA fined the city $33k - the maximum allowed at the time.
9JgQ TIL the Monkees started out in a TV show about a band that tried to be as good as the Beatles but failed. They then started making albums in real life and outsold the Beatles.
4kpvb TIL that term fin de siècle, meaning end of century referenced the anxiety people felt, about moving into the twentieth century from the 19th, and is expressed in such works as Dracula.
5YnDQ TIL that in Eastern Orthodox legend, a dog-headed mythical figure was claimed to have been captured in battle. He eventually converted to Christianity and was dubbed Saint Christopher. The dog-headed saint is depicted in religious art.