› added 9 years ago

452

TIL in 1993, during a Friar’s Club roast of Whoopi Goldberg, her then-boyfriend Ted Danson appeared in ‘black-face’ and began telling racially charged jokes. Whoopi came to his defense because she infact wrote much of the material and even referred him to the makeup artist.

Read more nytimes.com

via reddit.com

BgBNL TIL that in the Dani tribe of Papua, Indonesia, there's a unique tradition involving women. When a family member passes away, the women may cut off a segment of one of their fingers to express their grief and symbolize the pain of their loss. This ritual is intended to appease the spirits.
neMbr TIL that 3D glasses were invented in 1838 by Charles Wheatstone.
pYZ5p TIL the San Francisco Giants led the NL Wild Card in mid-July 2023 until an addiction to Pusoy, a Filipino card game, derailed their season. Some Giants, namely outfielder Joc Pederson, "find (pusoy dos) more compelling than studying the night’s opposing starting pitcher."
grKvA TIL that bed bugs were first mentioned in ancient Greece as early as 400 BC, and later by Aristotle. Bean leaves have been used historically to trap bedbugs in houses in Eastern Europe. The trichomes on the bean leaves capture the insects by impaling their feet. The leaves are then destroyed.
GYBLG TIL a mathematician tried for 7 years to prove that one cannot untie a knot on a 4-sphere. Then one day he decided to try to prove the opposite, and he succeeded in a few hours.