TIL while making “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, Mars Incorporated, the company that owns M&Ms, refused to give director Steven Spielberg permission to use the candy in the movie. As a result, Spielberg used Reese’s Pieces. Sales for Reese’s Pieces jumped by 85% following the film’s release in 1982. https://ift.tt/IXGJzqP

TIL that Americans didn't brush their teeth regularly until after WWII. American GIs were required to brush their teeth, and brought the practice home with them. https://ift.tt/CfrVL0g

TIL in 1912 Teddy Roosevelt was shot on his way to his presidential campaign. Instead of seeking medical attention he continued on to give his speech, starting by saying ““Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot.” https://ift.tt/JiwhKFm

TIL Marlon Brando who played a human in the movie "The Island of Dr. Moreau" had a demand where he wanted to remove his hat at the end of the movie and reveal he was a dolphin all along, the director refused. https://ift.tt/PHXKkOb

TIL The controversial practice of docking a dog's tail (i.e. amputation) used to indicate that they they were a "working dog" in 17th-century England and therefore not subject to a luxury tax. This lead many owners to dock the tail in order to avoid the tax. https://ift.tt/aRntOd0

TIL while filming “Dirty Dancing” in Oct 1984, the Virginian cold weather caused the temperatures to drop to 40 °F (4 °C) during the swimming scene. Jennifer Grey later described the water as “horrifically cold”, and said she might not have gone into the lake, except that she was “young and hungry.” https://ift.tt/i4F1y3K

TIL Kenneth Copeland, a Christian Minister who believes in Prosperity Theology, is worth $750 million https://ift.tt/CYTQDPy

TIL that narcissistic athletes perform better in high-stakes, highly competitive situations and worse in low-stakes situations. And non-narcissistic athletes perform worse in high-stakes situations. https://ift.tt/hzNX17t

TIL that some people carry a gene called ABCC11: the “no body odor gene” which produces odorless armpit sweat and dry ear wax. https://ift.tt/GxgcRMT

TIL that there is an exposed breast on flag of the US state of Virginia. It was added to the flag in 1901 when the then secretary of the commonwealth of Virginia felt Virtus, the Roman goddess of virtue featured on the flag, who at the time wore a full breast plate, looked too manly. https://ift.tt/4FEXVYq

TIL that 50% of vinyl record buyers in the U.S. don’t own a record player to play their vinyl on. https://ift.tt/ZS1urhz

TIL about the "third eye" (parietal eye) found in some reptiles, amphibians, and fishes. https://ift.tt/zNtfgcV

TIL the nativity story only appears in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, and both give very different accounts. Luke alone mentions the adoration of the shepherds, while Matthew alone mentions the arrival of the Magi, which leads to the massacre of the innocents. https://ift.tt/NjYO12Z

TIL 47% of bald eagles and 46% of golden eagles show signs of lead poisoning. Sources of lead into the ecosystem include bullets and fishing tackles. https://ift.tt/Fwq5bgC

TIL Korean women in the 19th century who had sons would openly expose their breasts as a sign of pride https://ift.tt/PTopaLt

TIL a depressed man built a secret room within his bedroom containing a homemade guillotine with a timer, took sleeping pills, and set the timer to kill himself without his father knowing what he was doing for months. He was successful. https://ift.tt/IPZRCeJ

TIL Researchers observed hundreds of students snogging in 1984 and concluded that kissing resulted in no transmission of the cold virus https://ift.tt/f6wAHma

TIL that King Cobras are not even actual cobras, despite the name. Also, they are world's longest venomous snakes. https://ift.tt/AvfWqJ3

TIL an acre is measured as a chain (66') by a furlong (660') https://ift.tt/ZhDH4L1

TIL: PBS reported on a study which details which part of a human body you should eat first that provides the most nutritional value using 4 dead bodies. Ignore kidneys, pancreas, and teeth and aim for the butt muscles, thighs, and skin. The researcher found it difficult to eat bacon afterwards. https://ift.tt/YdwgNj0

TIL that Mao’s last wife, Jiang Qing (also know as Madame Mao) last words in her suicide note was, “Chairman, your student and fighter is coming to see you!" https://ift.tt/213qOIw