OGdx6 TIL the slang colloquialism "groovy", while popularly identified with the hippie movement of the '60s, actually originated in the Jazz Age of the '20s as a way to refer to the properties of music or its recording medium.
69xL7 TIL in 2020 during the demolition of a failed casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the City tried to auction off the right to push the detonator button with proceeds going to charity. However, the landowner's lawyers found out about the auction and demanded it be cancelled.
wo1pE TIL about Prince Souphanouvong. Despite being a member of the Laos royal family, he was a communist revolutionary, which earned him the nickname "Red Prince". He became the first President of the communist Lao People's Democratic Republic and was recognized as a hero of the revolution.
R5G9l TIL the phrase "drinking the Kool-Aid", although associated with the Jonestown murder-suicides, actually originated in the Tom Wolfe book "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" about Ken Kesey and the "Merry Pranksters". Jonestown actually used Flavor Aid.
W7mO9 TIL Only 30% of the Forbidden City was open to visitors in 2012; some portions of the complex were leased to tenants, or used as staff areas. Today, over 90% of the Palace complex is accessible
9w9L6 TIL that E-Ink displays contain actual, physical particles of ink
nWYpr TIL that the songwriters behind "Take Me to the River" earned more in royalties from the use of the song by novelty toy Big Mouth Billy Bass than from any other artist who covered the track
4kQaN TIL Rupert Murdoch's university nickname was "Red Rupert". He was a socialist, had a bust of Lenin and was President of Oxford University Labour Club.
x6Gpk TIL that having white stool (feces) is a common sign of issues with the biliary system, which includes the liver, gallbladder, small intestine, pancreas, and bile ducts.
5VbKQ TIL Since efforts began in 1986, the incidence of human Guinea worm has fallen by more than 99.99% to ~10 human cases in 2025.
M7aLV TIL Super Smash Bros. Slamfest '99 staged a real-life wrestling match with four costumed characters at MGM Grand Adventures in Las Vegas on April 24, 1999, before the event was streamed and briefly rebroadcast, despite no known surviving video footage.
j6lpM TIL that the script for the Doctor Who episode "The Crusade" originally included references to an incestous relationship between King Richard the Lionheart and his sister Joanna. These were cut from the final episodes as William Hartnell found it unsuitable for a children's show.