› added 11 years ago

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TIL that although English is considered a Germanic language, 60% of the vocabulary is of Latin or French origin.

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via reddit.com

BgV7W TIL of Pancho Claus, a “Tex-Mex” cousin of Santa Claus, that gives out toys to kids in Hispanic neighborhoods out of his low rider.
Rd96 TIL as an undergraduate at Harvard, Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, felt his literature professor was giving him unfair grades. To prove it, he plagiarized a work by George Orwell and submitted it as his own. The paper was returned by his professor with a grade of “B-”.
EgZVw TIL that MetLife had plans to build what would be the tallest building in NYC, even the tallest in the world, but construction was halted due to the Great Depression and the “short, unfinished” version still stands today.
OKBX TIL Marine biologists were on a nighttime dive searching for biofluorescent sea creatures in the coral reefs near the Solomon Islands when a hawksbill sea turtle glided in front of their cameras. The turtle was glowing green and red – the first biofluorescent reptile ever encountered in the wild.
VBgKp TIL some folks in Indonesia believe that a marriage is less likely to fail if the newly wedded husband and wife hold in their feces for three straight days.