› added 4 months ago

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TIL about Orchidelirium: when people in the 1800s went absolutely bananas over orchids, sparking crazy plant heists and ruined fortunes

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via reddit.com

kJxK5 TIL before becoming Queen of the Hawaiian Kingdom, Liliʻuokalani, was inspired to write "Aloha 'Oe" ("Farewell to Thee") by a notable farewell embrace she witnessed when her party was leaving the Boyd ranch between Colonel James Harbottle Boyd & either her sister or a young lady at the ranch.
BgpEd TIL the concept of contact lenses was conceived in 1823 and was realized in 1887. The original lenses weren't meant for sight correction. Instead they were used to protect diseased eyes.
ne7Yd TIL Harrison Ford made $10,000 for A New Hope and $20,000,000 for The Force Awakens
n9oG TIL that ‘eyes wide shut’ holds the record for the longest continuous shoot at 400 days.
ZvLv TIL Shakespeare’s plays were so popular that pirated copies were made. Reporters would attend a performance and quickly write down the play’s entire text in shorthand as it was spoken. The pirated copies often had errors due to the reporters making mistakes while writing.