› added 1 month ago

15

TIL that tug-of-war was an Olympic sport from 1900-1920, and is still played at the World Games.

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via reddit.com

PmQw TIL When the BBC tried to trademark the image of the TARDIS, the Metropolitan Police tried to stop them as it is a ‘police’ box. However the court ruled in favour of the BBC because it’s more widely recognised as a time machine.
dD5PB TIL France's last king, Louis XVI (1754-1793) only saw the sea once in his entire life, despite his main residence, Versailles, being than 100 miles from the coast
KBb6 TIL Beethoven was surprised at the popularity of Moonlight Sonata, at one point saying “Surely I’ve written better things”.
YpJmd TIL About Greek Fire. An incendiary weapon developed by the Byzantines in the 7th century, it was deployed on ships, and in handheld tubes, operating similar to a flamethrower. Water didn’t extinguish it. Its precise chemical composition is still unknown.
4A1w TIL that Kevin Carter committed suicide 3 months after winning the Pulitzer Prize for a photograph of a starving toddler being stalked by a vulture