› added 1 year ago

51

TIL that in order to grow vanilla, humans have to hand pollinate every vanilla orchid by delicately pressing the stamen and stigma together

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

O5m4 TIL The ceremony of the keys at the Tower of London has gone on almost uninterrupted for 700 years. It was late once during WWII due to a number of bombs hitting the guard room, knocking the guards and Yeoman warder over. The officer in charge personally wrote a letter to the king to apologise.
grPvA TIL of Kermes dye, a Crimson pigment highly valued in the middle ages. It was obtained by grinding dried female Kermes scale insects that carried unhatched eggs within themselves. At the peak of it's popularity, Kermes dye surpassed Tyrian purple as a symbol of status and wealth.
rNGox TIL In 1762, John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, invented the meal that changed dining forever. As the story goes, he was playing cards and did not want to leave the gaming table to eat. He asked for a serving of roast beef to be placed between two slices of bread so he could eat with his hands.
XEMXX TIL the voice of Maude Flanders requested a $4000 raise to cover increasing commute costs, but FOX only offered $150 instead. This dispute is what led to Maude being killed off
M5xB TIL that 1-3% of the population are known as the sleepless elite. This group of people routinely get 6 hours or less of sleep daily and remain totally functional.