› added 11 years ago

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TIL: Many of the most badass lines in the movie 300 were real historical quotes; and that dry, blunt wit has been named after that region of Grece as a result.

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Z84rR TIL about the dihydrogen monoxide parody, the action of calling water by an unfamiliar chemical name, listing "side effects" which are just scientific terms for harmless water-related bodily processes, and calling for it to be banned. This demonstrates the importance of scientific literacy.
y65p TIL upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the phrase “London Bridge is down” will announce her death to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This will set into motion “Operation London Bridge” (formed in the 1960s), which is the code name for what will happen in the days after she dies.
VBj8D TIL that "Edmond de Belamy," a portrait generated by AI, sold for $432,500 in 2018. It was created using an algorithm trained on 15,000 portraits from the 14th to 19th centuries, and the "artist" signed it with a mathematical formula.
4kmN6 TIL that while filming the opening scene of 'Scream' where she was being hunted by the killer Ghostface, Drew Barrymore actually called 911 due to an error by the prop master. The police called back in the middle of filming after Barrymore had called them screaming into the phone multiple times.
brYN TIL that in order to study a cow’s digestion, research cows are fitted with a port in their side big enough to see and reach into so that scientists can gather the contents inside without hurting the cow. The cow lives a normal life and can actually live longer than a regular cow.