Things you didn't know until very recently...

What interesting things have you only recently learned about?

To be clear, this is about things which have been true for some time and you only recently learned about, not things that only happened recently. In particular, recent deaths of celebrities and other high-profile individuals should go in the General RIP Thread.

Edited by Twiddler on Apr 8th 2023 at 1:07:55 AM

I didn't know that Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday once told the 300 Spartans, "Go home, gentlemen. We've got this under control." Thermopylae might have turned out different if Leonidas I had taken Earp and Holliday up on their offer.

During the Suez canal crisis, the United States stopped a war with an oil embargo. Of Britain and France. In 1956. It's just so bizarre to consider that the United States was still exporting oil...

Wonder Woman is a lot cooler than most people would think, once she's handed over to a writer who actually 'gets' her characterization. She's like a grown-up female shounen protagonist (Defeat Means Friendship? Check. Protective of 'precious people'? Check. Determinator? Oh, fuck yes), minus the Hot-Blooded stupidity!

DID YOU KNOW THAT? NOW YOU KNOW.

edited 10th Apr '09 4:44:45 PM by FurikoMaru

Joss Whedon was involved in Toy Story.

This fact blows my mind.

edited 10th Apr '09 4:54:38 PM by Haven

Which movie? The first or the second one?

Apparently he wrote the first's screenplay.

One of four writers. IMDB link

edited 10th Apr '09 5:45:53 PM by Tzetze

Fawriel is a GUY???!?! <-Just figured it out.

Jimmy Stewert smuggled a yeti hand past customs by putting it in his wife's underpants.

Where did you hear that?

From an article about the different kinds of people there are:

People Who Try to Pretend Like They Already Knew the Story About Jimmy Stewart Smuggling a Yeti Hand out of Nepal in His Wife's Underpants

I do not believe you, unless your name is Jimmy Stewart's Wife's Vagina. And I'm pretty sure Jimmy Stewart's Wife's Vagina doesn't know how to read. So...

I searched around the web after I read that and the story appears to be true.

edited 10th Apr '09 7:20:03 PM by JohnADreams

Technically, it was concealed in his luggage, supposedly amongst his wife's underwear.

I had no idea, for many, many years, that George Takei is gay. (To be fair, neither did he.)

Y'know how bullets only go to three levels on the main wiki? I just found out that doesn't apply on the forums.

Really?

• Really, really?
  • truly really?
    • really truly?
      • Are You Sure?
        • Oh wow, cool

Really? I didn't know until very recently that Rick Astley would never:

• Give you up,
  • Let you down,
    • Run around and desert you.
      • Make you cry,
        • Say goodbye,
          • Tell a lie and hurt you.

Yeah, sorry guys. But I was recently Rickrolled and it was still in my head...

edited 14th Apr '09 3:18:51 PM by Little_Serge

See, I've known that Rick Astley would never do any of those things for about twenty years.

You sure?

I can't believe I didn't notice this the first time I saw this, but listen very closely to the music playing during this scene.

My friend's uncle was apparently the original singer for the band that went on to be called Styx.. he quit and then they made it big. O_o

Ikuko Itoh is a girl!

At work people sometimes put a fry container on a basket of fries while they are still cooking. I just realized that they are doing it to remind people that when those fries come up they are supposed to fill the container with the fries unsalted.

Botox has multiple non-lethal human applications, only one of which is cosmetic.

The Icelandic language still uses the old letter thorn (þ) in addition to the letter eth (ð) which would be pretty cool if they didn't make the same sound. Stupid alphabets. Also, :þ

Botox has lethal applications.