› added 13 years ago

140

TIL That we associate bunnies with Easter because it was once widely believed they were hermaphrodites, able to reproduce without losing their virginity. This lead to an association with the virgin Mary, as well as Jesus.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

R7n84 TIL that the phrase piggy bank doesn’t come from the animal the jar represents, but from the old word pygg which is clay used to make crockery. If this jar cracked and couldn’t hold liquids, people would use them as their own personal banks.
vPKor TIL that there's no such thing as a "tree" (phylogenetically)
X0KZX TIL, Gene Gene The Dancing Machine, beloved figure on The Gong Show, lost both of his legs due to diabetes.
XEE68 TIL the United States bombed North Korea between 1950 to 1953, killing 1 in 5 of North Korea's population, leveling every significant town and city along with hydroelectric and irrigation dams, causing massive flooding and destruction of crops
oBnvr TIL the guy who managed Guinness Breweries in the 1950s went to a shooting party, where he missed his shot at a golden plover. In his defence, he argued it was the fastest game bird in Europe, but couldn’t find a reference book that proved it. That’s why he created the Guinness Book of Records.