776
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For 3 months in 1530, Michelangelo was in hiding from the pope in a room under the Medici Chapel of the Basilica di San Lorenzo. He covered the walls in graffiti which were not discovered until 1976.
777
@qikipedia
Word of the Day: APOSTROFEAR (neologism) — fear of not using an apostrophe when one is needed or using one when it is not needed.
778
@qikipedia
According to a newspaper report from the 1950s, extras in London theatres would not only say ‘rhubarb, rhubarb’ to imitate dialogue, they would also say ‘sausage and mash’ (for softer sounds) and ‘Raspberries! Raspberries!’ through their teeth to make angry crowd noises.
779
@qikipedia
According to the Venerable Bede, February was once called ‘the Month of Cakes’.
780
@qikipedia
As well as affianced couples, St Valentine is the patron saint of epilepsy, fainting, plague, beekeepers and greetings card manufacturers.
781
@qikipedia
Doctors in Canada can prescribe a visit to a national park.
(Image: Pjalily6666661; CC BY-SA.)
782
@qikipedia
Word of the day: ROCAMBOLESQUE - too bizarre to be believable
783
@qikipedia
According to a 2019 survey, the words Americans are most likely to know that Britons are not are "manicotti", "ziti", and "tilapia".
The words Brits are most likely to know (but Americans are not) are "tippex", "biro", and "tombola".
784
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The microwave was invented by accident.
An engineer at Raytheon was testing a magnetron when he noticed his snack had melted in his pocket.
He repeated the procedure, and exploded an egg. He then decided to try building an oven.
(Image: Daniel Christensen; CC BY.)
785
@qikipedia
You have the most friends you will ever have at age 25.
786
@qikipedia
As king of Prussia, Frederick the Great encouraged his subject to eat more potatoes.
People now leave potatoes on his grave as a tribute.
(Image: Karen Mardahl; CC BY-SA.)
787
@qikipedia
About one quarter of the world's hazelnut production is used just to make Nutella.
(Image: Janine; CC BY.)
788
@qikipedia
Word of the day: TEMPORICIDE - the act of killing time
789
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When a male grey wolf takes over a pack, he adopts his rival’s puppies
790
@qikipedia
Due to early bacteria, it's possible that 650 million years ago the oceans were pink.
791
@qikipedia
Cambridge University researchers have discovered that conical ceramic pots, previously classified as storage jars from Ancient Roman sites, were actually portable toilets.
792
@qikipedia
Word of the Day: POOP-NODDY (archaic) — sex.
793
@qikipedia
On the 14th of February 1784, there was a wedding in Derby where the couple had between them seven thumbs: the bride had three thumbs, and the groom four.
794
@qikipedia
In Irish Gaelic, the word for ‘hare’ is ‘giorria’, which is derived from a phrase that literally means ‘a short deer’.
795
@qikipedia
Capt. Sir Mansfield Cumming suggested British secret agents use semen as invisible ink during WWI.
796
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At the 2000 Olympics, organizers ordered 50,000 condoms - but the Olympic Village still ran out halfway through the Games. They had to place an emergency order for 20,000 extras.
797
@qikipedia
During the 1980s, New York City used these signs instead of standard "no parking" signs.
(Image: Sunny Ripert; CC BY-SA.)
798
@qikipedia
Drinking tea made Britons in the 1700s healthier.
Since tea used boiled water, increased tea drinking reduced mortality from water-borne diseases.
[Study: direct.mit.edu/rest/article-a…]
799
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If you feel less sharp in midlife than you did in your 20s, you can't blame your age.
According to new research, your mental processing speed doesn't begin slow down until your 60s.
800
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How to dress for the gym in 1895…
@qikipedia
A Quite Interesting Twitter feed from the team behind the BBC TV show QI.
linktr.ee/TheQIElves