› added 5 years ago

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TIL the word "paparazzi" originated from a character name in the 1960 Italian film "La Dolce Vita."

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pKPZ TIL that neuroscientists in Japan discovered a protein that is essential for rapid communication between the eyes and they brain, so they named it “pikachurin” due to Pikachu’s “lightning-fast moves and shocking electric effects.”
PK7O TIL Landmines planted on the coasts during the Falklands War accidentally created penguin sanctuaries. The penguins are too light to detonate the mines, so they live and breed safely. The sanctuaries are so popular and profitable that there are efforts to prevent removal of the mines.
ADOMw TIL that English king Charles I believed black cats to bring good luck, so he adopted one. On the day it had died, he lamented that his good luck was gone. The next day, he was arrested for high treason and was later executed.
vJvB TIL at the 2000 Sydney Games, the stock of 70,000 condoms was not enough for the athletes, prompting a second order of 20,000 additionally. Since then, a standing order of 100,000 condoms has to be made per Olympics to accommodate all the sex that occurs at the Olympic Village during the downtime.
x6BZb TIL David Attenborough, as a young TV producer, was instrumental in tennis balls being the colour they are today.