› added 12 years ago

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TIL that a woman named Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) was the first to attempt a journey around the world in 80 days inspired by the Jules Verne book. She did it in 72 days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes - a world record.

l78bA TIL that to save on music licensing fees when the TV comedy WKRP was syndicated, not only were the licensed songs eliminated but they had to use "soundalike" voice actors to dub over the dialog where songs and actors were heard at the same time.
WJ9A TIL: In the Dr. Seuss movie “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T”, one of the 150 boys vomited on the piano while filming. This caused a chain reaction resulting in 150 vomiting boys. Dr. Seuss said that the film’s reviews were similar.
XRDE TIL the unique strontium isotope composition of the bedrock where you grew up is recorded in your tooth enamel. This allows archaeologists to analyze a person’s remains and determine where in the world they lived as a child.
9YPnB TIL Australian school authorities once accidentally gave a standardized history exam asking students to analyze a painting of the Bolshevik Revolution with a giant robot in the background. When apologizing, they promised "new guidelines governing the use of internet-sourced material in exams."
bDPp TIL the 1883 eruption on Krakatoa produced the loudest sound ever known it reverberated around the globe 7 times before diminishing. It could be heard 4,000 miles away, and people with in 100 miles had permanent hearing loss.