› added 9 years ago

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TIL in ancient Rome, a gladiator was only someone who fought against other men. If you were in the arena facing wild beasts, you were called a bestiarii. There were two types of bestiarii: those condemned to die in such a manner, and those doing it voluntarily, for pay or for glory.

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4XJ96 TIL that flatfish (turbot, sole, halibut, etc) start off round but then morph into flat bodies, with their eye coming around to the other side of their head. (Video of this linked.)
xV5Zg TIL puppy mills breed over 2 million puppies each year, and an estimated 1.2 million dogs are euthanized in shelters every year.
GeMN TIL That dogs actually can determine whether or not a person is trustworthy.
ygdJ TIL that during the Berlin Blockade in 1948 a pilot who was doing supply drops for the civilians became known as ‘Uncle Wiggly Wings’ after he started dropping candy and chocolate from his plane and wiggling his wings so people knew it was him.
oRw6E TIL flannel refers to a type of fabric, not a plaid or tartan pattern. "[N]ot all flannel shirts are plaid and not all plaid shirts are flannel."