701
@qikipedia
In Irish Gaelic, the word for ‘hare’ is ‘giorria’, which is derived from a phrase that literally means ‘a short deer’.
702
@qikipedia
In 2011, the Romanian government started requiring witches pay taxes on their earnings.
Witches promptly cursed the government.
703
@qikipedia
In the mid-1990s, Louisiana authorities put a parrot into witness protection.
The parrot had previously been owned by a crime boss, and had seen some things and would occasionally talk about them.
704
@qikipedia
M. C. Escher once told Mick Jagger off for using his first name in a letter.
705
@qikipedia
Economists have shown the urban legend is true - when the economy is better, short skirts are more popular.
706
@qikipedia
UK company Crafted Beds is looking for a ‘Netflix and nap fanatic’ to be their mattress tester. The position pays £24,000 per year and entails spending 37.5 hours per week on a mattress assessing its comfortability.
707
@qikipedia
After the French Revolution, the French government introduced a new calendar.
To replace saint's days, every day was renamed in honor of something important to rural French life.
In this calendar, 28 December was the day of manure.
708
@qikipedia
Phrase of the day: XĪ MĀO (吸猫; Mandarin slang) - to zone out and enjoy the company of a cat, literally "inhale/sniff cat"
Some people literally bury their faces in the fluff and inhale, but @qikipedia disclaims responsibility in any claw injuries that may result.
709
@qikipedia
I use a lot of what I learned from chess in my day to day life. For example, I never let a horse position itself so it can attack both me and my wife in a single move. COREY MOHLER
710
@qikipedia
All British cows must have passports.
711
@qikipedia
Bees can be pessimistic.
712
@qikipedia
"Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god... [if] you provide [cats] with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods." CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS
713
@qikipedia
Schwartz’s Chinese Five Spice powder contains six spices.
714
@qikipedia
Scientists found a new state of matter in 2019 by squeezing potassium until it became both liquid and solid at the same time.
715
@qikipedia
Welsh mathematician, Robert Recorde, invented the ‘equals’ sign. In 1557 he wrote: ‘noe 2 thynges can be moare equalle.’
716
@qikipedia
In 1966, the Procrastinators' Club of America held a protest against the War of 1812.
717
@qikipedia
The first domesticated bird was not the chicken, but the cassowary.
Adult cassowaries weigh 60 kilograms and are highly aggressive.
718
@qikipedia
It means nothing to me. I have no opinion about it, and I don’t care. PABLO PICASSO, IN 1969 ON THE MOON LANDING
719
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The ‘couth’ in the word ‘uncouth’ is related to the word ‘kith’, as in ‘kith and kin’, and means ‘known’. So, ‘uncouth’ originally meant ‘unknown’, then ‘unfamiliar, strange’, and only later came to mean ‘uncultured, bad-mannered’.
720
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One of the miracles associated with St Nicholas was the restoring to life of three young boys who had been dismembered by a cruel butcher and thrown into a brine tub.
721
@qikipedia
Word of the day: THOROUGH-COUGH - coughing and breaking wind at the same time
722
@qikipedia
Word of the Day: IRRITAINMENT — an extremely annoying media spectacle that you can’t stop watching.
723
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In Sweden, the @ symbol is sometimes called a 'kanelbulle' - a cinnamon roll.
(Image: Marco Verch Professional Photographer; CC BY.)
724
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As he's making an appearance on tonight's QI, it's time to dust off the GYLES BRANDRETH ANECDOTE GENERATOR.
"It was during the London 2012 Opening Ceremony when I did the ice bucket challenge with a trifle-laden Delia Smith..."
Brand new QI, tonight at 10pm, BBC Two
725
@qikipedia
In 1982, Key West in Florida declared itself independent of the United States.
After declaring itself independent, the newly formed Conch Republic declared war on the US, surrendered one minute later, and promptly requested one billion dollars in foreign aid from the US.
@qikipedia
A Quite Interesting Twitter feed from the team behind the BBC TV show QI.
linktr.ee/TheQIElves